Implicit Rule
by HuddyJibbsAddict
Summary: A dead Marine's obsession could be the key to find someone Gibbs thought he had lost forever. But does she want him to find her?                    AU, set in season 8, will contains OCs
1. Chapter 1: The case and the woman

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or its characters, they all are Donald. P Bellisario's.

All I own is the little plot bunny which wouldn't leave me alone and the OC's that go with it

A/N: This is my first story, English isn't my first language

A huge thanks to JibbsGal1 for her help and support

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><p><em>Season 8 episode 1: Spider and the Fly<em>

_Francks: "Do what you have to for family"_

_Gibbs: What rule is that?_

_Francks: The unspoken one_

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><p>Chapter One: The case and the woman<p>

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><p><strong>January 18<strong>**th****, 2011 11:30 am**

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia **

First Sergeant Kyle Grand of the United States Marine Corps looked at his watch, he had another five minutes before he, his wife, Nancy and his son, Hugo, had to leave the park to go pick up his best friend, the Infantry Weapons Officer James Drenton. Today was his friend's birthday and they decided they would celebrate it at a new restaurant. James was living just two minutes away from the park and it was a fifteen minutes drive to the restaurant, they had plenty of time but James was punctual to a fault, had always been.

Kyle called his son and rolled his eyes when Hugo seemed very reluctant at the idea of leaving the redheaded little girl he was playing with, surely his son couldn't already have a girlfriend, he was barely five years old!

Sending Nancy and Hugo fetch the car, he walked to his friend's house and, arriving there, knocked, no answer, he tried again, still nothing, it wasn't like James. He tried the doorknob, it was open. Calling his friend's name, he looked for him in every room, not finding him anywhere, he arrived in front of the study: the door was ajar, he pushed it open and …

No matter how many times he was sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, how many men he saw getting killed in the line of duty, how many men he himself killed, nothing could have prepared him to the sight of his best friend lying in a pool of his own blood, in the middle of his study. Without thinking he went to check for any sign of life, his cell phone already out to call 911. It was useless, his friend was dead and if he could judge he would say it had been a while.

"Kyle, James, are you ready to go?" Nancy and Hugo were here, he couldn't let his family see that.

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><p><strong>January 18<strong>**th****, 2011 11:45 am**

**Navy Yard, Washington D.C**

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was lost in thoughts, had been since he arrived to work almost five hours ago, so lost in thoughts that he hadn't noticed Timothy McGee's arrival half an hour after him, even if he was staring at the young man's chair, or more like through it, so lost in thoughts that he hadn't noticed Very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo and probationary Special Agent Ziva David's arrivals either nor their bickering, so lost in thoughts that he hadn't moved from his chair for the past five hours, not even to get coffee. All of this was unusual, to say the least.

If Gibbs was so contemplative, it was because he hadn't slept well and no he hadn't slept well because he had spent the night sanding his boat while drinking bourbon and finally passed out on the cold and uncomfortable floor under said boat, no it wasn't that at all.

Yesterday evening, Gibbs was on security duty at the White House for the NCIS Director Leon Vance, who was coming back to work after several weeks of medical leave, following an explosion which almost killed him. SECNAV had decided that this ball at the White House was the best occasion to show to the alphabet soup that NCIS was still there and since Gibbs wasn't his favorite person in the world, he had been assigned to security without any chance to refuse.

It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last, the real problem wasn't this assignment, it was more the gut feeling he had had all evening, it wasn't an intestinal issue but a warning, something wasn't suiting well with this party and it took him a while to really understand what it was about. When he arrived with Vance, everything was in place, security from every agencies in the US, journalists, most of the other guests, everything was calm, even the photographers who seemed to be waiting for something.

Gibbs and Vance were in the middle of the red carpet taking them inside when the agitation began.

Another limo had stopped and another guest was getting out of it, the photographers tried to get his attention especially when he helped a woman out of the car, hearing them yelling and seeing them flashing their cameras you could have thought the man was a famous actor or something like that but no, as Gibbs learned during the party, this man was the Congressman Bob Sommers, a socialite who was expected to become Senator or maybe even Governor soon. However the attention he generated from the media was as much about his political career as it was about his mysterious companion, indeed for the past two months the single 47 years old Congressman had been seen attending various events with always the same woman on his arm. The fact that a single Congressman was seeing someone wasn't the important point, what was important was that no one had any idea about who this woman could be, at every events they were attending to she was wearing large sunglasses, which were hiding most of her face and she never said a word.

The press was amusing itself with the irony of a Congressman, who was fighting for the women's rights, having a trophy wife.

Gibbs wasn't someone who was interested in this kind of things but when he saw the woman in question, his gut clenched and he understood the strange impression which was following him since he get in the limo was in some way related to her.

It didn't make sense, he didn't know her or the Congressman, she wasn't even his type; of course one could object that his type was fluctuating lately, after a blond Colonel there had been a brown haired Madam and a brunette lawyer; a little different from the fiery, leggy redheads everyone was used to see him with! Looking at her more closely, he was starting to rethink his last point, she could be his type: leggy, check, curvy, always an added bonus, fiery, check that by the way she was clutching the arm of her companion to prevent herself from saying anything to the photographers who were trying to blind her, and redhead, well no but the ruby dress she was wearing and which was hugging her curves so well could count for something, right?

At that point Vance had decided that he had had enough and started moving again, Gibbs followed, and, at the sudden movement in front of them the woman lifted her head up and looked at him, even if her eyes were hidden behind her sunglasses, Gibbs was sure he had saw her before, he didn't know when or where but he had and he knew it was important. That's why he hadn't slept well, this woman's face was haunting him, all night he tried to remember how the hell he could knew her and he was still thinking about it when his desk phone rang and shook him out of his thoughts for the first time this morning.

Gibbs listened intently to his interlocutor and when the one sided conversation was over he mechanically stood up, took his weapon, his badge and said while walking towards the elevator: "Gear up, dead Marine Gunner in Arlington"

Everyone followed, the three agents fighting to be the one driving while their boss was wondering why his guts were acting up again and gave him the feeling he hadn't see the last of the woman haunting him.

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><p>So what do you think?<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: Obsession

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, story alerts, for putting this story in your favorites. It means a lot (:-D.

Again thanks to JibbsGal1 for her help. ;-)

Reply to hopesmom999: Good catch with the little redhead, the answer is in this second chapter ;-)

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><p>Chapter Two: Obsession<p>

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><p><strong>January 18<strong>**th****, 2011 12:15 pm**

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia**

What should have been a 25 minutes drive from the Navy Yard to the crime scene because of the traffic, turned out to be only 15 with Ziva's driving.

LEO's were already on site waiting for them, as was the crowd of curious who had really no reason to be there.

An officer walked towards them.

"You're with NCIS?"

Gibbs just nodded, showing his badge

"Your victim is James Philip Drenton, Infantry Weapons Officer, stationed at Henderson Hall, here in Arlington, turned 35 today, he owns the house, single, no children. He was found at 11:30 by his best friend, First sergeant Kyle Grand, who lives down the street with his wife and son. He checked if his friend was alive and called 911. The three of them are right there." The officer said pointing towards a police car where a man was standing straight, his arms around a woman who was huddling close to her a young boy who couldn't be more than five years old.

"Thank you, we will take it from here" Gibbs said, his mind already on the case, pushing other uncomfortable thoughts away.

"Huh…" The young officer seemed embarrassed all of a sudden, clearing his throat.

"What is it?" Gibbs asked, glaring at him for wasting his time.

"Well, I guess you're gonna see it for yourself, the room we found him in, his study, well there were photos, a lot of photos, all of the same people, at the same place, it seems to be the house across the street, we went there but there is no one home." He said all of this so quickly that it took a moment to the team to process his words.

"Okay, thank you" Gibbs said curtly.

"You're welcome" The officer said before walking away as fast as he could.

The team entered the house and joined Ducky and Palmer in the study.

"OOOkay, that's creepy" DiNozzo couldn't help it, when the police officer had told them there were a lot of photos, they hadn't imagined that: the four walls of the study were completely covered with photos, apparently taken by the camera installed at one of the windows. Near the camera there was a computer, on its screen a slide show with other photos.

"The guy was beyond obsessed with his neighbors it seems" DiNozzo remarked

"Do you really need to always state the obvious, Tony?" Ziva asked, rolling her eyes at her partner.

"Tony, photos, Ziva, bag and tag, McGee, the computer!" Gibbs ordered before they could bicker some more. "Duck, what do you have?" he added turning towards the M.E.

"It seems that this poor man was surprised by his attacker, or he knew him, there are no defensives wounds, the blunt force trauma at the back of the head wasn't lethal but the single bullet between the eyes certainly was judging by the pool of blood."

"Time of death?"

"Around midnight I would say, the lividity makes me think he wasn't moved, I will be able to tell you more after the autopsy."

"Boss" McGee called "The photos of the slide show were mostly taken last night and this morning, it seems that the camera takes a picture every second and uploads them on the computer immediately, it still does it at the moment."

Gibbs looked intently at the photos on the screen and … _could that be!_

"McGee, stop!" he yelled, startling everyone in the room. He leaned forward some more, it was the same dress, the man making his way towards her seemed to look like the Congressman. "McGee, can you zoom in?" Yeah, he was definitely sure about it, the woman on the photo was the same he saw the night before. Not noticing the weird looks his agents and even Ducky were sending his way, he took a photo on one of the wall and observed it: a redhead woman holding a little redhead girl and a man, all of them were watching a car reversing out of the garage.

At first, you could think there were two women, the brunette he saw last night and the redhead on the photo he was holding but looking closely he was convinced they were one and the same. He couldn't see most of her face, on every pictures she seemed to be wearing sunglasses, but he felt it.

"McGee, find everything you can on the neighbors" Gibbs said while getting out of the room quickly.

"Boss, where are you going?" Tony asks and, of course, Gibbs didn't answer. "What the hell just happened?" Judging by the expressions on the others' faces, they were all wondering the same thing.

Gibbs almost ran towards the witnesses, and when Kyle Grand saw him he straightened up.

"I'm Special Agent Gibbs, do you know them?" He asked while showing him the photo, not bothering with civility, he was in a hurry after all.

Kyle nodded, his lips forming a thin line. "Yes, they live just across the street, the Simmons family, Julie" he answered, pointing out the woman "her brother Josh" pointing the man, "and her daughter Grace" pointing the little redheaded girl. "They moved in less than two months ago, there are also Julie's other brother, Damian and their father, Ian."

"Did you know your friend had an entire room covered with their photos?"

"I discovered it this morning" Kyle answered, sadness filing his eyes

"They weren't home when the LEO's went there, do you have any idea where they could be?"

"They were at the park this morning, well at least Josh and Grace were, she was playing with Hugo just before we left" Nancy answered for her husband.

"Thank you" Gibbs said before turning back towards the house.

"Wait, Special Agent Gibbs!" Kyle called after him.

Gibbs paused and looked back at him, raising his eyebrows.

"Do you think the Simmons have something to do with James'… with what happened?" Kyle asked, desperate for some answers.

"I don't know yet, but I intend to find out" It was the best answer Gibbs could give at this point. Kyle nodded and Gibbs went back in.

"DiNozzo, David, with me, now!"

The two agents descended the stairs quickly and looked at him questioningly but Gibbs was already on the move and all they could do was follow him, waiting for some explanation.

They could see the park from where they were, it was almost deserted, there were only two people left and they were moving towards the parking lot, Gibbs sped up and when they arrived near the last car on the parking, the driver was already starting it.

"You're going somewhere, Mr. Simmons?" Gibbs questioned looking at Josh Simmons, who merely turned his head towards him, observing him with intense grey eyes.

"Uncle Josh?" A little voice asked from the back of the car. Her uncle looked at her and after what seemed to be a silent conversation, Grace Simmons nodded her head and unbuckled her seatbelt "I'm staying with you" She declared in an assured voice, sending a glare towards the three agents.

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><p>What do you think?<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Ghosts

A/N: To jibbs fan: thanks for your review, I hope you'll continue to appreciate this story

To hopesmom999: You'll learn more about the uncles in this chapter, and you'll meet them in the next but they're my OC's. As for the kid, well, Gibbs isn't the only one with a powerful glare ;-)

Thanks for sticking with this story, here's the third chapter.

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><p>Chapter 3: Ghosts<p>

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><p><strong>January 18th, 2011 2:00 pm<strong>

**Navy Yard, Washington DC**

Gibbs had been an NCIS Special Agent for a long time, and he had seen all sort of witnesses and suspects, from extremely nervous to really tough and most of the times it didn't take him long to break them and get to know everything he wanted.

But Josh Simmons was definitely different: from the moment he had set foot in interrogation to the moment Gibbs had stopped the interview - if you could call it that way when there is only one person doing the talking - he hadn't said a word, he had barely moved and he hadn't been intimidated at all. He just sat there, staring at the mirror, arms crossed, he seemed almost bored.

Gibbs went back to the bullpen, only to find the little Grace Simmons, whom he had sit in his chair, in the same position than Josh. She looked past him, trying to see if her uncle was with him and turned back when she saw he was alone.

"Ziva, bring her to Palmer and come back here to tell me what you found"

The usual panicked expression Ziva assumed when she had to deal with children crossed her face but she nodded anyway and Grace followed her, glaring at him, all blazing green eyes and redhead temper.

This glare seemed so familiar, just like… _no, Gibbs don't go there, she's gone, remember?,_ he chastised himself_._

"McGee, what did you find about the Simmons?"

"The house they're living in was bought two months ago by the Congressman Bob Sommers, none of the Simmons appears anywhere on the papers."

"So what, he just offered it to them?" Tony chimed in.

"It seems that way. He appears on several photos our victim took, and the two brothers, Josh and Damian, work for him; Josh as a bodyguard, Damian as his campaign manager. Julie Simmons also seems to be the woman who has been accompanying him to various events for the past two months, the problem is that we have no clear picture of her face, I'm incapable of showing you what she really looks like" McGee replied.

Gibbs gritted his teeth together, it was starting to piss him off, how was he supposed to remember how he knew this woman if he couldn't even see her face?

"The father?" He asked.

"Ian Simmons is a neurologist at Georgetown University Hospital, he seems to have a good reputation, he's been working there from 2006 to 2008 and he came back two months ago"

"And in between?"

"That's the problem, there are no traces of any of them before June of 2006 and between June of 2008 and November of 2010"

"False IDs?"

"I think so, but I can't prove it"

Gibbs looked at the pictures on the screen, there were only two categories of people living under false ID: criminals or victims. The problem was to find out which category the Simmons were in, and they didn't seem to be keen on helping them.

"Abby's running Josh's prints through AFIS, and Ziva is trying to see if they're part of the Witness Protection Program." McGee appeared to have followed his train of thoughts.

Gibbs nodded at him and turned around, looking at Tony, eyebrows raised, a way to say 'Your turn'.

"Our victim, James Philip Drenton, Infantry Weapons Officer, 35 years old, enlisted since he was 18 years old, participated to Operation United Shield, in 1995, several tours in Irak and Afghanistan, he came back four months ago from his last tour. I talked to his CO at Henderson Hall, Drenton was well appreciated by everyone, his record is perfect. I checked his phone calls, this morning the same number called him several times, I traced it back to …" He stopped suddenly, looking over Gibbs's shoulder

"Yes, DiNozzo, you traced it back to…?" Gibbs asked impatiently

"I think that would be me" He hadn't heard this voice in several months, and, to be quite honest, he hadn't missed it that much.

"…M. Allison Hart" Tony finished his previous sentence.

"Hello, Mr. Gibbs" He had almost forgotten how annoying her calling him that way could be.

"Miss Hart, news sure travel fast"

"When you know the right people" She said, smirking.

"How did you know our victim?" He asked impatiently.

"He contacted me a few weeks ago, he needed some information"

"About?"

"How to bring a Congressman down for treason" She said it as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world and it almost left him speechless, almost.

"And did he tell you the name of this Congressman?" The question was kind of rhetorical, Gibbs had a pretty accurate idea of who this Congressman could be.

Anyway, before Miss Hart could answer, the elevator opened and a dozen people got out of it, at their head the one and only Bob Sommers and at his side none other than Damian Simmons.

Behind them, about ten men in black suits were forming a tight unit around what Gibbs could only guess, not being able to see among the circle and judging from his clenching gut, was probably the other two members of their ghost family.

"Mommy!" Grace yelled, running past them right into the inner circle of stern looking men, confirming Gibbs's suspicions.

Ziva was arriving behind her and shrugged helplessly as if to say "I tried", Gibbs would have to ask her how a five years old could overpower her.

"Miss Simmons" This time, the call was coming from above them. There, on the catwalk, the SECNAV and Leon Vance were staring at them.

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><p>AN: So what did you think?


	4. Chapter 4: Need to know

As always thanks for your reviews and thanks to JibbsGal1 for her help with the editing! I love you forever ;-)

I'm back at work so I will slow down with the updates, the next one won't be before Wednesday.

Here is the fourth. Hope you enjoy it.

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><p>Chapter 4: Need to know<p>

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><p><strong>January 18<strong>**th****, 2011 2:15 pm**

**Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

An exchange of looks and nods later and the Congressman and his inner circle were moving towards the stairs.

Gibbs was about to follow them; it was probably the only chance he had to see the woman, when Damian Simmons, the only one who had stayed behind, grabbed his arm and said in a low but firm voice, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Gibbs looked at his hand on his arm and glared at him. Damian didn't seemed to be fazed by this and merely waited until the group had disappeared through the doors leading them to Vance's office to let him go.

"Damian Simmons." He said, holding out his hand, as if he sincerely believed Gibbs would shake it. "I was told you took my brother into custody."

"We're merely asking him some questions about your neighbor's murder." Gibbs countered.

Damian raised his eyebrows, an amused expression on his face. "And has he been answering your questions?"

At that Gibbs scowled, telling Damian all he needed to know.

"Look, you want to find your marine's killer, and I want my brother to get out of here. Two problems, one solution. You need Josh to answer your questions and probably the rest of us too so let me talk to him. I'll be able to convince him to give you a statement," Damian said simply.

Gibbs observed him for a while; he had a point. Gibbs would never admit it, but he really needed help with Josh.

"Follow me," he said, taking him to the interrogation room, opening the door for him and entering after him.

Damian observed his brother and, after a moment, said "Jules is here."

At that, Josh raised his head sharply and for the first time since he arrived at NCIS, he seemed to pay genuine attention to what he was told.

"I'm sure you can imagine how happy she is right now! Do us all a favor and tell him what he wants to know," Damian added.

Josh swallowed and nodded. Turning his gaze to Gibbs, he said, "Go ahead"

"Where were you last night around midnight?"

"Working, I was on security duty at the White House Ball for Bob. We stayed late, came back home around 3 am."

"With your sister?"

Josh gave him a long, searching look. "Yes," he answered slowly.

"And you?" Gibbs asked, turning to Damian.

"I was dining with a potential donor in D.C. I came back home around 1:30 am. I can give you his address and telephone number. And, before you ask, my father was at the hospital; he came back at five this morning. I'm sure you can find dozens of witnesses to confirm our alibis."

"We will check that," he said, knowing that his agents, watching from the other side of the two-way mirror, would understand the message.

"Can we go now?" The two brothers asked.

"Did you know that your neighbor was taking pictures of your every move?" Gibbs asked, ignoring their question. The look they exchanged had a clear meaning: 'What the hell is he talking about?'

Gibbs threw some of the photos on the table, and their confused expressions quickly turned into anger.

"Bastard…" Josh growled before Damian shushed by putting his hand on his brother's arm.

"We had no idea that Drenton was doing that. Had we known, we would have done something about it," Damian answered curtly.

"Like what?" Gibbs inquired.

"We would have used legal means against him. Look, we answered your questions, we gave you our alibis, do you have any evidence to keep us here or not?" Damian demanded, becoming increasingly annoyed.

"Can you tell me why you all live under false IDs?" Gibbs asked, ignoring the question yet again and realizing too late that it was way too premature in the investigation to confront them about this, especially when he had so little information.

Their faces became blank, any traces of prior anger or annoyance had left.

"You have no need to know," Damian said, articulating each syllable of each word slowly. "Enough is enough, since you want to play it like that…" Damian added while taking a document out of his jacket pocket. "Here, our 'get out of jail free' card. If you want more explanations ask your SECNAV. We're leaving," he announced, before opening the door and getting out.

Gibbs observed the document, sighing at his content, and followed the two men.

In the bullpen, the Congressman and his little group were already heading towards the elevator with Damian and Josh joining them.

Gibbs looked at his agents, hoping they had some good news. McGee was the first to speak:

"Boss, we checked their alibis, they told the truth. At least twenty people from security confirmed they saw Josh Simmons at the Ball last night, at different moments and they also confirmed the time he said the three of them left. The same for the two others." He announced all of that quickly as if saying the words fast would make them hurt less. Gibbs sighed again, they really had wasted their time on this lead. Unless…

"I found something else. I was looking for information about Bob Sommers and I got a hit in our system: apparently Mr. Sommers was a regular visitor at NCIS. He came at least twice a month for about three years, between June 2005 and June 2008 and then he ceased entirely."

_June 2005 and June 2008, these dates were matching …_ The gears in Gibbs's mind were shifting around, a memory suddenly hit him:

_Gibbs was leaning over Jen's desk, examining her schedule with Cynthia, trying to find out when she was kidnapped. He read aloud: "And after lunch a meeting with the B.O.B."_

_"That's Congressman Bob Sommers, he is a friend." Cynthia answered him._

A redhead, hiding her face from everyone, especially the press, never saying a word in public, as if someone could recognize her voice. Her "family" had left, without leaving any traces in May 2008, the time if her supposed death.

_Supposed, not supposed, she's dead, dammit, you know it Gibbs. _A little voice in his head said.

_Really, and how do you know it? Did you see her body? Did you ever see her dead? _Another said.

_No, but Tony and Ziva did, they saw her, they said she was dead. _The first voice said_._

_And if they had only saw what she wanted them to see, it wouldn't be the first time. _The second voice countered.

"Jen." Gibbs said out loud. He started running towards the stairs, trying to get to the parking lot as fast as he could, leaving three bewildered agents behind him. He had only one way to find out. He opened his cell phone and called the guards at the main gate, telling them to stop the Congressman's car.

"Sorry Agent Gibbs, they just left." Gibbs closed his phone in defeat.

He went back upstairs to the Director's office and opened the door with such force that it crashed against the wall.

"What the hell is going on?" He yelled at the two men sitting across each other at the conference table.

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><p>What did you think?<p> 


	5. Chapter 5: Betrayal

A/N: As always Thanks for the reviews and thanks to JibbsGal1 for her help

Here's the fifth chapter were some explanations are given, feel free to tell if it's too confusing, I know that there are a lot of OCs

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><p>Chapter 5: Betrayal<p>

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><p><strong>January 18<strong>**th****, 2011 2:45 pm**

**Navy Yard, Washington D.C.**

"What the hell is going on?" He yelled at the two men sitting across from each other at the conference table.

The Secretary of the Navy, Philip Davenport, wasn't a man easily impressed, even by Gibbs' temper. That's why he said, in a calm but firm voice, "Close the door; you should know that walls have ears."

Gibbs's blood was boiling. He resisted the urge to throw something at his two interlocutors and closed the door, relishing in the slam it made.

"Explain," he ordered, forgetting for a while that those two men were his bosses and could decide to fire him and/or make his life extremely difficult.

"Watch your tone, Agent Gibbs, we don't owe you anything," Davenport replied.

"Like hell, you don't! I won't leave this room until you tell me how it is possible that a woman, who died two years ago, was able to walk in here forty minutes ago!" Gibbs tried to refrain from yelling because, even if he hated to admit it, Davenport had a point saying walls have ears.

"We had no idea she was alive; we discovered it when she came back in the country two months ago." Vance stated, getting tired of the pissing match between his boss and his agent. "Before that, all we knew was what the two men you interrogated told us and they hadn't mentioned that Jenny Shepard was alive!"

"Then what did they tell you?" Gibbs asked, sitting down. He was desperate and that didn't sit well with him.

"About a month after Shepard's apparent demise, those men contacted Eli David, claiming they had every reason to believe her assassin was tipped off by someone from NCIS," Vance started.

"Why would they contact Eli?" Gibbs interrupted.

"They were Mossad, the best agents they had, from what Eli told us. Josh Simmons' real name is Nathaniel Naim, specialized in physical coercion. Damian is Mikhael Nadler, an intelligence analyst. Ian is Abraham Nadler, Mikhael's father, the doctor; he handled the communication and created their identities. Grace is Hannah Naim, born in January 2006. Her parents were Elizabeth Nadler, Ian's daughter, a translator who specialized in psychological coercion, and Jacob Naim, Nathaniel's brother, specialized in surveillance and tailing; both of them died in June of 2006. And there was also Naomi Nadler, Abraham's wife who died in December 1999," Vance listed.

_December 1999?_ Paris memories were flashing in Gibbs' mind, _it would be around the time Jen…_

"What's their connection to Jenny?" he asked, trying to get a grip on his thoughts.

"Eli thinks Abraham and Jenny's father met during a mission in the Eastern Europe, they apparently befriended," Vance answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"What evidence did they have?"

"They knew about your mission in Europe with Shepard, about mine before that, both of them about the same man."

"Anatoly Zukov," Gibbs said, in a low voice, remembering the moment he had killed him.

"'Yes, they proved to us that Natasha Lenkov, Svetlana, couldn't have found out who the agents were who were sent to kill them without help from the inside. They went to Uzbekistan, trying to find out who could have contacted her - they even had access to the detail of the operations, who at NCIS knew. They send us everything and we did some research too. It took us a while to narrow it down and even then we had no certainty, so we tracked all of those who could have known about those ops and reunited them."

"The conference with former NCIS directors," Gibbs said.

Vance nodded.

"McAllister?"

Vance nodded again. "He sold her out to Natasha for the same reason he tried to kill me. For him, we stole his chair."

Gibbs sighed; he had trusted McAllister, it had been a hard blow to learn he was the one who tried to kill Vance but this… McAllister was lucky to be dead!

"Where were they the past two years?"

"Switzerland, we think. It seems that Abraham Nadler was working at a clinic near Geneva. They contacted me the day after McAllister's death and asked me to confirm it." It was Davenport who answered this time.

"How is Bob Sommers involved in this?"

"Congressman Sommers is a friend of Jenny Shepard, he helped them in coming back here."

"Illegally?"

"He informed us of their return, organized a meeting and that's when we realized she was alive. We gave them their 'get out of jail free' cards, in case anyone had suspicions about their identities."

"She didn't want to come back to NCIS?" Gibbs asked, finding that extremely hard to believe. After all, Jen had sacrificed pretty much everything for her job, but maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought.

Davenport seemed almost embarrassed at this. "She didn't talk about it at all so we decided to broach the subject. She said she had no reason to come back; she told us the last thing she wanted was to be a liability."

Gibbs watched him in disbelief. _How could Jenny think something like that?_ The thought that she had been back for two months and didn't try to contact him was already unbearable enough but her statement meant she didn't even think she would receive a hearty welcome. _Yeah, because you gave her so many reasons to contact you, did you forget that the day she supposedly died you were trying to find evidence against her in the Frog's murder?_

Those little voices in his head were becoming really annoying.

Gibbs stood up slowly, he had to get out of here and think.

"Agent Gibbs! You still have a murderer to find, your case should be your priority!" Vance called after him prompting him to slam the door again behind him.

He crossed the catwalk and entered the elevator, going down to autopsy. He resisted the urge to flip the switch. He had some things to do first.

When he entered the autopsy suite, the glare he directed towards Palmer was enough to send the poor man to Abby.

"Ah, Jethro, I was waiting for you an hour ago…" Ducky stopped suddenly, taking a closer look at him. "What's going on?" he said, looking worried.

"Did you do Jenny's autopsy?" Gibbs decided to take a direct approach; he really didn't have the energy to be subtle.

"What are you talking about?" Ducky looked even more worried and confused too.

"Just answer the question, Doctor Mallard, did you do her autopsy or not?"

Ducky observed him for a while and finally answered. "No, I didn't. I thought I could do it but Kate's was already difficult enough. I informed the then Assistant Director Vance and he called in another M.E."

"So you didn't see her at all?"

"No, I didn't but Jethro, what is this about? Jethro!" Ducky called after him but Gibbs was already leaving.

Taking the stairs, he went back to his desk, took his car keys and yelled over his shoulder on his way to the elevator.

"DiNozzo, you're in charge!"

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><p>AN: So, what did you think?

Next chapter should be up tomorrow, its about a reunion long overdue! Hope you stay tuned


	6. Chapter 6: Reunion

A/N: I can't thank you enough for reading, reviewing, alerting ... Your suggestions are welcome

As always thanks to "You know who" for her help ;-) (See I didn't say your name this time :-D)

Here's the dreaded chapter, I hope you like it

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><p>Chapter 6: Reunion<p>

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><p><strong>January 18<strong>**th****, 2011 3:30 pm**

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia **

He must have broken every traffic law on his way to Arlington. He couldn't even remember the drive; it was quite a miracle he arrived there in one piece.

His mind was elsewhere. He had been sitting in his car in the parking lot, in front of the park for ten minutes, imagining different scenarios for this encounter. Strangely, in most of them things didn't go well.

How was he supposed to do this? The last time he saw her… no, it was better not to go there. This particular memory wasn't one of his fondest.

Thoughts and questions were running fast in his head: what did he miss? How was it possible that she had been alive for more than two years without him even suspecting anything? And why the hell hadn't she contacted him at any point?

They may have not been on the best of terms before her "departure" but he cared about her, always had, always would. She knew that, right?

He sighed and got out of the car; it was time to find out.

Their bench was a good observation point, they could see anyone who went in without being seen. Jen's instinct seemed to still be as strong as ever. _Spending two years in hiding had probably helped with keeping them intact,_ Gibbs thought as he walked by several women sitting together. They were watching him warily, one of them recognized him, having see him in the morning at Drenton's house, and started whispering to her friends.

The closer he got, the more he could see Jen and Mikhael tense up. They never turned towards him but they knew he was there, he could see it.

Their eyes were on Grace, playing in front of them, and they seemed to be arguing in a low voice. Mikhael stood up and looked daggers at him before walking away.

Gibbs sat next to Jen. She had her sunglasses on, her hair had grown back to the length it was when she had become Director: red, long, wavy. He resisted the urge to run his hands through it. He noticed that her attire differed greatly from what he remembered: ballet flats, skinny jeans and her red coat. He observed her silently for a while. He didn't know where to begin; there were so many things he wanted to know.

"Do you need something, Special Agent Gibbs?" Jen asked, her voice cracking at the end, still not looking at him.

He flinched at her tone. For a moment he was feeling like they were back at the Navy Yard, in her office, about to have one of their famous arguments.

"Is that really the way you want this to go, Jen?" he asked her. Of all the scenarios he had imagined, this one would definitely be one of the worst.

She stayed silent for a moment, her eyes not leaving Grace.

"Why are you here?" she inquired.

"You really have to ask?" He watched her in disbelief. "You really thought I wouldn't find out? Or did you believe I wouldn't care?"

"I hoped you wouldn't find out." she said, her voice so low he could barely hear her. His mouth opened in shock. _She couldn't be serious!_

"You hoped I… You're kidding, right?" He had to control his voice, they were already attracting enough attention. "Why would you want me, want all of us to think you're dead? I can understand you were still in danger but we could have helped. We could have done something, if you had just trusted us! Why didn't you trust us?" Gibbs was really angry now.

"You don't know everything, Jethro." It was her use of his name that calmed him.

"Then tell me." He said. He watched her closely as she sighed, took off her glasses and turned towards him. For the first time in two years he was able to look in her eyes.

"When I was at the diner, I had no intention of getting out of there alive. For me, it was over, I was done. I woke up two weeks later in a clinic in Switzerland, my left arm in a sling and unable to sit up without screaming in pain. Everything was already over here. Mikhael and Nathan were contacting Eli, I was in no condition to make any important decision, especially one that could risk or jeopardize our covers. Time passed, we were losing hope and we got used to our lives there. When we learned about the conference with the former Directors, it took us a while to decide what we would do if the traitor was found. Coming back wasn't easy, especially when I discovered my house was burned to the ground." Her eyes hardened at the end and she tilted her head.

He lowered his head and looked at the ground, absorbing and processing what she said, her first sentence was replaying in his head.

"Why were you done?" He said, knowing she would understand what he meant.

She turned away from him, her eyes locking once more on Grace. "I know you talked to Ducky, you know I'm sick."

"He said dying."

"At the time, I had no intention to get treatment. My mother had the same disease, I saw her slowly deteriorate, I didn't want to put Grace through that. Abraham disagreed, of course, but..." She paused, the words seemed to be difficult to say. "Grace was so young at the time, she would have forgotten." She took a deep breath. "I didn't tell them about William's funeral but they found out anyway. Apparently, they arrived just after Mike left and they got me out of there. After the surgery, Abraham asked my doctors to start treating the Polymyositis and when I woke up I started physiotherapy, which helped a lot, still does."

"I'm sorry, Jen." She looked at him with her wide eyes but he was as surprised as her. He didn't know why he said it, he just wanted her to know he cared and those were the first words that came to his mind.

She swallowed the easy retort of 'What happened to Rule #6 'Never Say you're sorry'?' and simply nodded instead, understanding, as always.

They fell into a comfortable silence this time, watching the children play around them.

Those moments were always bittersweet for Gibbs. He remembered going to the park with Kelly, her joy when she was on the swing and asked him to push her higher and higher.

He looked at Grace; she seemed to be an happy child even after everything she went through, he saw Jenny smile when she was watching her.

"Who is she?" He asked.

"My goddaughter. Her parents died when she was six months old. I took care of her ever since. She knows I'm not her biological mother but I'm her mom."

"What happened to them?" It had intrigued him since his conversation with Vance and Davenport.

Jenny's eyes were filled with pain and sadness. "They wanted to help me, to find out what happened to my father but Nathan went too far. Benoit's men heard about someone looking for information. Long story short, there was a firefight. Naomi, Abraham's wife, died and the others went into hiding. Seven years later, they found them - Beth and Jacob were killed."

"The Frog?" Gibbs asked, that explained some things "That's why you killed him? Because of what he did to them?"

Her eyes flashed with anger this time. She stood up and said, "I've never been a murderer, I never killed anyone in cold blood, never, and that didn't change with Benoit. How can you… Stay away from me!" she yelled when he stood up too and tried to explain, calm her down.

"Grace, Damian, we're leaving." She said, while grabbing the little girl's hand.

"Jen!" he screamed desperately after her.

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><p>AN: I never said it was gonna be an easy journey. Please tell me what you think.


	7. Chapter 7: Embrace

A/N: Thank you for your reviews and to ... for her help ;-)

Here is the seventh chapter or when things get a lttle better for Jibbs

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><p>Chapter 7: Embrace<p>

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><p><strong>January 18th, 2011 4:00 pm <strong>**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia **

He thought about going after her for two seconds before seeing the look on Mikael's face. Gibbs had noticed the gun the man was carrying, and he was sure that he wouldn't hesitate to use it if he thought Gibbs was a threat. Of course, he could shoot back but he doubted that it would help him with Jen.

He had screwed up, royally. He had been such an idiot. They were starting to reconnect, being almost comfortable in the presence of the other again, something they had lost long before her disappearance, and he had had to open his big mouth. He gave himself an head slap that would have made Mike Franks proud, a punishment for his stupidity.

He still had difficulty realizing that she was actually there and that's why he hadn't been able to touch her; he was too afraid she would vanish into thin air if there was any physical contact. It was a risk he wouldn't take, he had already lost her twice after all. _Yeah, and now see what you did!_ The little voice again!

What were his options now? He could go back to the Navy Yard and give Jen some time to calm down but then he would have to face his team's questions and he really didn't want to explain that Jen was alive, that he saw her and screwed it up. No, he really didn't want to do that. Also, this option could give Jen and her "family" the possibility to leave Washington again and he wouldn't take this risk either.

Another option was to count on the fact that Jen had never been able to stay mad with him for long. When they were partners or when she became Director, no matter how harsh their arguments could be she never stayed mad at him.

Yeah, this was the best option, he didn't have much more anyway.

Looking around him, he saw that everyone was watching him with interest. He really had to get out of there. He got in his car and covered the short distance that separated him from Jen's new house. He parked near it, making sure they could see him and he waited.

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><p>Meanwhile, in the house, Jen and Abraham were looking at Gibbs's car through the living-room window.<p>

"What is he doing exactly?" Abraham asked, confused.

"Waiting." Jen answered simply.

"For what?"

"For me to cave," she said. She had known Gibbs long enough to understand what he was doing. He had already said he was sorry once today, there was no way he would apologize again so, instead, he just waited until she decided to talk to him again.

"You're going to?" Abraham asked her, watching her intently. He knew Jen well, considered her like a daughter and he knew about her particular relationship with this NCIS Special Agent. He had asked Mikhael to find information about him and sometimes Jenny had said more than she probably intended to.

Like Gibbs, Abraham had lost his wife and daughter. He hadn't been able to protect them and he carried that with him every day. Like Gibbs, the weight of this loss had changed him but his granddaughter and Jenny had prevented him from becoming withdrawn. They were his rock, his anchor and he would do everything and anything in his power to protect them, even from Gibbs.

He knew Jenny loved this man but he wasn't so sure if it was mutual. More than once, Jenny had come home defeated, hurt, sometimes she would spend her evening staring off into space. He had learned quickly that her moods were, most of the time, related to something Gibbs had said or done. He couldn't remember how many times he had wanted to find this man and punch him for daring to hurt Jenny in any way, but Jenny would have never allowed that. No matter what, she wasn't his daughter. She was a big girl who knew what she was doing, well, most of the time anyway.

"Maybe." Jen answered him, forcing him to focus back on their conversation. "But, I'm going to let him stew for a while. He deserves it."

"He's gonna grow tired."

"You don't know Jethro," Jenny said, a slight smile on her face. She was still angry at him for bringing up La Grenouille's murder but seeing him there, waiting for her, not able to give up just yet - it made her remember why she had never been able to stop loving him.

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><p>About an hour later, Gibbs was starting to wonder if he really had gone too far, if Jen really didn't want to see him ever again. He saw the front door opening and Grace running towards him. He opened his window when she stopped at his side of the car and she gave him a cookie. He took it, lifting his eyebrows.<p>

"Mommy and I made them; there are more if you want," she said, observing him intently, her expression so similar to Jen that it was disturbing. He was the first to look away, and he saw Jen standing in the doorway watching them. He didn't have to think twice before accepting this invitation. He got out of his car and held his hand out to Grace. She looked at it for a moment before taking it and tugging him to the house. She dropped it once they were in front of Jen and ran inside. Jenny was smiling at him, amused.

"They're not poisoned," she said, looking at the cookie.

"Maybe, you should try it first just to be sure," he joked.

"Everything is not forgiven," Jen said, turning serious.

Gibbs sighed "I know, Jen." And then he did something unexpected; he embraced her and whispered, "I'm just glad you're here, Jen."

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><p>AN: Hope you enjoyed it! Give me your thoughts ;-)


	8. Chapter 8: Revelations

A/N: My Gosh! Where did the time go? Already seven days since my last post.

RL is really crazy right now but I'm gonna try to post twice a week from now on. As always thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting (is that a word?), and thanks to JibbsGal1 for her help.

No Jibbs in this chapter but it's still all about them.

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><p>Chapter 8: Revelations<p>

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><p><strong>January 18th, 2011 5:15 pm <strong>

**Navy Yard, Washington **

Tony was at his wits end. When Gibbs left two hours ago, he spent at least two minutes staring after him, gaping, until Ziva told him he should shut his trap before he ate bees. He didn't bother correcting her, it would only make her wonder why eating a fly was better than eating a bee.

Tony didn't understand what happened; one minute they had a suspect, Gibbs was interrogating him and the next they had nothing left - no suspects, no Boss and so many unanswered questions he doubted he would ever be able to answer them all.

When he had realized that Gibbs was not coming back anytime soon, he got back to work, which meant going to see Ducky and Abby and having to explain that he was in charge.

Once he had been able to convince Abby that Gibbs was not on his way to Mexico, she actually gave him valuable information.

For example, the sedative found in the victim's blood came from the bottle of vodka the Marine Gunner had in his study. That, coupled with the fact that there were no defensive wounds, suggested the killer had known his way around the victim's house, he had premeditated the murder and since there were no prints, no fibers, nothing from the killer, he knew a bit about investigative methods.

The gun lying beside James Drenton was his and was definitely the murder weapon. Abby had also found blood and hair on its hilt, which explained the blunt force trauma at the back of the head.

She had worked on the photos, trying to get more details on the woman but Tony told her it was useless. The four neighbors all had alibis they checked out. Abby wouldn't hear any of it, she had a hunch and she didn't want to let it go. Tony didn't push; he would be wasting his breath.

Next, he had had to interview Margaret Allison Hart and if he had thought that his day couldn't get any worse, he would have been wrong. How could anyone interview a lawyer without getting a headache, really? She answered his questions with other questions, twisted every word, tried to make him trip and lose track of his thoughts. She hadn't been helpful at all; it was probably due to the fact that she wanted to talk to Gibbs but he wasn't responsible for his boss's disappearance.

He hadn't been able to learn more than what the lawyer had said in the bullpen: James Drenton contacted her because he wanted to know how he could legally bring down a Congressman for treason, specifically for helping criminals. He hadn't specified which Congressman but there was only one implied in this case.

He had let M. Allison Hart go and he went back to the bullpen only to find Ziva staring in shock at her phone. Before he could ask her what was wrong, his phone rang.

"DiNozzo!" he answered

"Tony, it's McGee, could you and Ziva come down here?" His voice was shaking and Tony could barely understand what he was saying.

"We're on our way," Tony said. "Ziva!" He called his partner but she was still staring at her phone. He went closer and called her again. She jumped and looked at him, her eyes wide.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Ziva looked back at her phone and put it down. "One of my contacts just gave me some information about Drenton's neighbors. It seems that their physical descriptions match those of former Mossad officers we thought were dead. Those agents have connections with … but it's impossible!" Ziva mumbled the last part, lost in thoughts.

"Connections with whom?" Tony asked, getting impatient.

"With Jenny," Ziva said at last.

Tony stared at her for a while, he knew where she was going with this and he refused to even think about it. "Abby and McGee are waiting for us," he said turning back towards the elevator.

"Tony!" Ziva yelled after him but he continued to walk and she finally followed him without saying anything more.

When they arrived at the lab, the first thing they noticed was the silence - no music, no sounds from the equipment, no typing from the computers, no voices, just silence. They looked at each other; this wasn't a good sign. They entered the lab and saw Abby and McGee looking at the computers' screens, all of them showing an identical picture of Julia Simmons. Except that she didn't look much like Julia Simmons and more like a certain NCIS Director they had lost in a firefight more than two years ago.

"What's this?" Tony demanded, startling Abby and McGee. The pair turned back towards them.

"I worked on the photos of the neighbors. Something was bothering me, so I followed my hunch and I tried to uncover more of Julia Simmons's face. I really had no idea I would find this, I swear. I just had a gut feeling, you know? There is nothing wrong with having a gut feeling, is there? So I was working on the photos and I asked McGee's help and we got this. I know it's impossible but that's her. I mean it's not her because she is not there anymore but it's a twin or a double or whatever. This Julia Simmons is Jenny's look-alike." Abby rambled at an impressive speed.

Ziva turned towards Tony with a knowing look and he stared back at her. This was not happening, Tony thought. There was no way this was happening, even if it could explain a few things like Gibbs's disappearance. He looked more closely at the photo, the face's shape was the same, the lips, the nose, the hair; you couldn't see the eyes but he wouldn't be too surprised if they were huge and green.

At this point, Tony was starting to doubt everything he had thought was true for the past two years. If Jenny was alive, who was the woman they identified at the diner? Where was Jenny and why would she reappear now? Who were those guys with her and what did all of this have to do with their dead Marine?

"Oh My God! What is this?" A voice sounding a lot like Ducky's asked from behind them.

"That's what we would like to know, Ducky," Tony answered but Ducky didn't seem to hear him. He was watching the screen, mumbling something like "That's why Jethro asked if I did the autopsy."

"Gibbs asked you if you did Jenny's autopsy?" Tony inquired. It had never occurred to him that the medical examiner might not have done this particular autopsy.

"Yes, I thought he was coming to know my findings about your victim but he was agitated and he demanded to know if I did Jennifer's autopsy. He didn't explain why he wanted to know," Ducky explained.

"And what did you say?" Ziva asked.

"I told him that I didn't do it, I couldn't." At that, they all raised their eyebrows in disbelief. Gibbs had found out and he didn't say anything.

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><p>So what are they gonna do now?<p>

Please review ;-)

Next chapter we're going back to Jibbs and some secrets will be revealed :-D


	9. Chapter 9: Getting to know you

A/N: I don't own NCIS or its characters, if I did Jenny would have come back in the season finale to confort Gibbs.

As always thank you for reading, here is the ninth chapter, all Jibbs ;-)

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><p>Chapter 9: Getting to know you<p>

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><p><strong>January 18th, 2011 5:15 pm <strong>

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia **

While the team was making some startling discoveries in D.C, Gibbs and Jenny were still locked in their embrace.

Gibbs had felt her tense up when he first put his arms around her but he hadn't let go and she had gradually relaxed, tentatively placing her hands around his shoulders and her head under his chin. He had been relieved that his prediction she would disappear at first contact proved itself wrong, and he planned to enjoy it as long as he could.

Well, he had planned to enjoy it as long as he could until the sound of someone clearing their throat called them back to reality. They turned towards the intruder, Nathaniel, standing a few feet away from them - arms akimbo, frowning, his lips forming a thin line. Gibbs almost expected steam to escape from his ears.

"Care to tell me why you're embracing the man who was accusing me of murder three hours ago?"

"Nathan," Jenny sighed. "You can't blame him for doing his job; it wasn't personal."

"Sure, you're the only one who has the right to be angry at him for accusing the wrong person of murder, aren't you?" Nathan snapped.

Gibbs flinched and Jenny straightened, glaring at Nathan.

"You stop it right now," she said, her tone low and dangerous. Any NCIS employee would have already cowered and fled but Nathan was braver … or suicidal.

"Why should I? We don't owe him anything!" Nathan yelled this time.

"But you owe me, Nathan; you owe me that much. Don't ever forget that!" Jenny replied in the same low and dangerous tone.

Gibbs was becoming more and more interested by their conversation and Nathan seemed to notice it because he swallowed his next reply and walked away from them after sending a last glare at Gibbs. He seemed to get that a lot from Jenny's friends.

"Sorry about that. He is a little overprotective. They all are actually," Jenny said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't be, I can understand," Gibbs replied, watching her intently.

She observed him for a while, nodded and beckoned him in, leading him to the kitchen - a bright space with wooden furniture. From there you could see the living room where Gracie was seated on the couch with her grandfather, both of them eating cookies while watching TV, so completely engrossed in some cartoon that they didn't pay them any attention.

Jenny started a pot of coffee, not needing to ask him if he wanted some. It would have been like asking a kid if he wanted gifts for his birthday.

Gibbs sat at the table, watching her every move. The shock of seeing her again was beginning to wear off and his mind was full with a thousand questions.

He was slowly realizing he hadn't known her as well as he thought. He had completely missed the existence of this strange family, missed the existence of a child and had completely misjudged Jenny's role in La Grenouille's murder.

He was finding it pretty ironic that he had tried so hard to protect her in every way he could from being accused of this murder when in the end she hadn't done anything.

The problem was that she had led him to believe she had done it. It meant only one thing: she was protecting the real murderer and he was starting to have an idea about who it might really be.

Jenny could feel the weight of Gibbs's stare on her and it was making her hands shake; she had almost forgotten how much Gibbs could affect her. She knew she had some explanations to give but she really didn't know where to start. She also wasn't sure of what his reaction would be.

She poured two cups of coffee, put them down on the table and she settled in front of him, taking a deep breath.

"I got the weird impression that your friends know a lot about me." Gibbs was a bit hostile and Jenny sighed.

"I told you they're overprotective; they try to get to know everything about anyone I could come across. It's the way they are. Don't forget they were Mossad, that's what they were trained to do."

"So they gathered information about me?" It came out more as a statement than a question but Jenny answered anyway.

"Yes but they never shared what they found with me. I told them not to."

Gibbs was slightly taken aback by that. He would have thought that after she discovered he had hidden the existence of his first wife and daughter, she wouldn't have missed the occasion to get to know all his secrets.

"Everyone has secrets, Jethro. If you had wanted to share them with me, I would have been happy to listen to you, but I wouldn't have betrayed your trust by using the information they gathered, at least what was left of it." Again, Jenny seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.

Gibbs wasn't sure he would have been as noble if he had found a file about her but it wasn't a good idea to say it. It took him a moment for her whole answer to sink in.

"You think I don't trust you?" Again, it came out more as a statement.

"Not as you once did, no. But I don't blame you for that. I put Tony's life in danger, I implicated the whole agency in my mess. I lied to you and disappeared, making you believe I was dead. I can understand why I lost your trust along the way."

Gibbs didn't confirm or deny what she said about losing his trust. It would be too difficult to convince her that, even if he had been disappointed by her actions and hurt that she had hidden so much from him, he could never judge her. He knew a bit about wanting to avenge family.

"You did what you had to in order to protect your family."

"I never wanted it to go that far. Believe me, if I had had a say in all this …" She stopped suddenly, her eyes widening; she apparently had revealed much more than she intended to.

Gibbs was starting to understand: former highly trained Mossad officers who had had to go into hiding to protect themselves from an arms dealer and who had still been discovered and attacked. Jenny had wanted to stop Benoit, arrest him; her friends had wanted to kill him.

"How is the team?" Jenny asked, diverting the conversation to a safer subject. She wanted a break so Gibbs decided not to push, for now.

"There were tough moments but we survived." He stayed vague on purpose; it was difficult to sum up two and a half years like this, especially given the events that took place during this time.

"I'm not asking you what happened, I heard about most of it: Agent Lee and Langer's deaths, what happened to Ziva, the Reynosa cartel revenge. I'm asking you how they are."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "How do you know about all that?"

His question made Jenny smile. "Just because I wasn't there anymore didn't mean that I no longer gave a damn about what was happening to all of you! Bob kept me informed."

That explained some things a little better, like what she said to SECNAV about not wanting to be a liability. She probably heard about what was being said about her time as Director. He wasn't particularly proud of this.

Before he could say anything else, they heard a knock. Someone descended the stairs and went to answer. A moment later, Nathan called 'Julie' and she joined him at the door, Gibbs not far behind her.

There at the doorstep stood the whole team, not looking too happy.

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><p>Tell me what you thought, good or bad, just tell me.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10: Shalom Jenny

A/N: Thanks for your reviews

hopesmom999: Thanks for the love and you're right CBS could try to please us every once in a while!

JPNCIS: Here is the next chapter you were waiting, hope you enjoy it

The first part of this chapter has been inspired by a fanvideo called Jenny Shepard Broken, check it out, it's really good!

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><p>Chapter 10: Shalom Jenny<p>

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><p><strong>January 18th, 2011 5:40 pm <strong>

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia **

As they were heading for Arlington, Team Gibbs was silent, something rare enough to be pointed out. All of them were remembering their last encounter with Jenny and wondered what the next one would be like.

Tony, the driver, and Ziva, sitting next to him, were thinking about Los Angeles - what they could have done differently and what they missed. They had been so sure it was Jenny at the diner but maybe they only saw what Jenny, or her saviors, wanted them to see. The guilt had never really left them; they just buried it and tried not to dwell on it too much. You can never really forget the fact that your inaction caused someone's death.

Ziva thought about her friend, the one with whom she shared so much and whom she had to give up on because of her allegiance to Gibbs. You can't really be the Director's friend when you're part of his team, you have to choose your side but sometimes she wondered if there was anything she could have done to prevent this.

Tony had remorse. He had gotten close to Jenny when Gibbs went on his margarita safari. He had wanted to prove himself to her, and he accepted the mission she gave him without caring too much about the consequences. However, when those consequences caught up with him, he had blamed her, put all the responsibility of his heartache on her without remembering that she gave him an out several times - that several times she asked if he wasn't too involved and he hadn't been honest. He knew he had played a role in the chasm that was created between Jen and Gibbs over The Frog's case. She gave him a chance, an opportunity, several actually and he had screwed up and he didn't admit it.

Ducky, who was behind Tony, was looking out of the window and was remembering the last few weeks before Jenny's disappearance: the tests, the terrible news he had to tell her, the strength she showed, the look on Jethro's face when he understood Jenny was sick, the phone call and the body bag. All this pain.

McGee was in the middle of the backseat; he was recalling the last case Director Shepard worked on - her own. He had been impressed with her: she had stood up to the FBI, to Vance, she had face their accusations without blinking and she had proved Tony's innocence knowing it would leave her as the only suspect. He had never been as close to her as the others but he respected her, admired her, sought her approbation. To him, she had been pretty much indestructible, like Gibbs, and her death had been a hard blow.

Abby was behind Ziva and, like Ducky, she was looking out of the window, a particular sentence replaying in her head: 'Sometimes, things aren't so simple Abby. Sometimes you can't control the outcome. Sometimes you have to... look at the reality in front of you and accept it.' The importance of this sentence hadn't really hit her at the time, she had only used it against Tim to force him to take Jethro, the dog, with him, but now she realized that Jenny had confided in her and she didn't see it. Her relationship with Jenny was strange, special and, as her friendship with Kate, had ended way too soon. She saw Jenny as what she really was: someone who cared too much and had to hide it under a cold façade because you couldn't be seen as weak in her position.

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><p>They finally parked behind Gibbs's car and got out, approaching the house. Once in front of the door, Tony squared his shoulders and knocked. After a few moments, the door opened revealing Nathaniel. He seemed to size them up, his eyes lingering a few seconds longer on Ziva, his face hardening as he did so. He turned his head and called out. "Julie, it's for you."<p>

Looking past him, they saw Jenny and Gibbs walking towards them and they released a collective gasp, proving that no matter what they learned in the last couple of hours, they hadn't really believed it until now.

Upon seeing them, Jenny faltered a little and paled. She hadn't really been expecting them. Dealing with Jethro was already hard enough but dealing with Jethro plus the team, she wasn't sure she could do it. She had almost decided to run the other way when she felt Gibbs's hand on the small of her back, its warmth comforting her, a silent gesture of his unconditional support.

"Let them in, Nathan," she said, knowing that she couldn't avoid this any longer.

Reluctantly, Nathan stepped aside, eyeing each one of them warily and he followed them to the living room. Grace and Abraham, hearing the commotion in the hallway, had turned off the TV and were waiting. Upon seeing the team, Grace approached her mom, not in fear but as if she wanted to protect her, with Nathan and Abraham not far behind her.

Seeing this, Jenny knew she had to send them away so she said the first thing that crossed her mind.

"Do you want some coffee?" This question attracted several different reactions. Ducky and McGee nodded without thinking, Tony stiffened as if to say, 'Is that really all you're going to say,' while Abby and Ziva seemed a little lost.

The look she sent Nathan and Abraham's way was enough to send them to the kitchen. She waited a few seconds before turning her attention back to the six people staring at her. The team seemed to be in some sort of trance, they weren't moving, were barely breathing. Ducky was the first one to come out of it and he approached her slowly, unsure, until he was right in front of her. He took her hands in his and said in a low voice, "Is it really you, my dear?"

"You're the specialist, you should know," she answered teasingly and he beamed at her, hugging her lightly, always careful, letting out the breath he had been holding.

Tears were streaming down Abby's cheeks. She knew she wouldn't be able to contain herself much longer and, the moment Ducky let Jenny go, she threw herself at her and gave her a bone crushing hug. Literally.

After a few seconds, Grace started to yell. "Get the hell away from her, you're hurting her!"

They all thought she was overreacting, after all everyone knew about Abby hugs but that was until they saw that Jenny had bitten her lower lip so hard she had drew blood; she had paled and her eyes were tightly shut.

"Abby, let her go!" Gibbs said, getting worried.

When Abby finally did, Jenny took a large gulp of air and fell backwards in the nearest armchair. Grace immediately called out her grandfather who ran in the room and started checking on Jen. Telling her to take deep breaths, he gave her some pills with a glass of water, taking her pulse, waiting for it to slow down.

Abby was horrified. Gibbs was trying to comfort her and the others were watching all this with wide eyes. They had never seen Jenny like this - well Ziva had once but she would rather not think about it right now - and only Ducky had an idea of what was going on.

It took a few minutes before Jenny was able to whisper that she was alright and another few before she was able to take Grace in her arms to reassure her.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't want to hurt - I'm so sorry…" Abby stammered, completely overwhelmed.

"It's okay, Abs, you couldn't know. It's not your fault. Just calm down, I'm alright," Jenny told her.

"What's this all about?" Tony demanded to know, almost angrily.

"It's the disease, isn't it?" Ducky answered and Jenny nodded. "Polymyositis causes, among other things, pain in the muscles, especially in the shoulders and thighs. I guess it's still not totally under control," he explained and Jenny nodded again.

"Well at least you didn't lie about everything," Tony said bitterly.

Jenny looked at him and sighed. _It really isn't going to be easy_, she thought.

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><p>So did you like it, hate it? Either way let me know ;-)<p>

Next chapter: the second part


	11. Chapter 11: Rule 6

Thanks for the love, thanks for the reviews ;-)

Here is the second part of the Jenny/Tony confrontation!

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><p>Chapter 11: Rule #6<p>

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><p>Previously on Implicit Rule:<p>

_"Well at least you didn't lie about everything," Tony said bitterly._

_Jenny looked at him and sighed. _It really isn't going to be easy_, she thought._

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><p><strong>January 18th, 2011 6:00 pm <strong>

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia**

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked, getting really annoyed at his agent's tone.

"You're telling me you're going to defend her, Boss? Really, you? The same one who held a grudge against her for months because she hid her agenda with Benoit from you? You're telling me you're okay with this?" Tony was on a roll. For more than two years he had carried the weight of this failure on his shoulders and now he discovered it had been for nothing. He couldn't even see the miracle her reappearance was, he was blinded by his rage.

Ziva put a hand on his arm trying to appease him but he just shrugged her off. He was shaking with anger, his fists clenched.

Seeing this, Nathan and Abraham went closer to Jenny but she whispered to them that it was okay and they stepped back, throwing dark looks at Tony.

She knew she was making a risky bet but Jenny was almost sure Tony wouldn't hit her, no matter how angry he was. She got up slowly, testing if her legs could carry her, and she approached him.

"I can understand that you're angry. Believe me when I say I never wanted to put you through that, any of you," she said, looking at the others. "I would have never risked your lives, especially after implicating you in my mess the way I did."

Gibbs noticed that both Nathan and Tony flinched at that.

"That could explain why you hid what was going on from us at the time, not why you let us think you were dead," Tony said, apparently not willing to let go anytime soon.

Jenny sent a glance Nathan and Abraham's way; the two men seemed ill at ease.

"Decisions had to be made quickly and things went out of our control. We were out of the country, threatened, I was injured, and badly so. We may have not handled all of this the best way but we didn't have much time to think it through."

Hearing her explanation, Gibbs wondered if Jenny hadn't rehearsed this because she had said enough, at the park, for him to understand that she hadn't made any decision about anything that happened after the firefight. Hell, she had been unconscious for two weeks!

She was placing most of the blame on herself to cover for her friends; they didn't seem to really like it but they weren't stepping in either.

"Who was it?" Ziva asked quietly, speaking for the first time since they entered the house.

"What?" Jenny replied, confused.

"At the diner, who was it? Who did we find?" Ziva clarified.

"A Jane Doe who died of a drug overdose and who was about to be buried in an unmarked grave." Jenny answered in a tone that conveyed her disgust over the whole thing.

"Good staging." Ziva said, bitterly.

The compliment, if you could call it that, made Jenny wince. She had always thought it would be more difficult with Tony and Ziva than with the others but she was getting tired of this.

She was starting to wonder if she shouldn't have let Nathan and Abraham do the talking.

_It sure would have been a great idea, it's not like Nathan is looking for an occasion to get in a fight with them!_ A little voice in her head, sounding surprisingly like Jethro's, said.

It was true that no matter what she told him, Nathan had never gotten past the fact that Tony and Ziva were supposed to protect her in Los Angeles. He knew that Team Gibbs was supposed to follow only Gibbs's orders and it had amazed him that the two agents had chosen this time to follow her directives.

She looked at him and saw that his fists were clenched tightly, a sign that he was about to snap at the intruders. It was time to test if her political skills were still intact. She hoped that what was slowly becoming her favorite line would work as well on the team as it had on Gibbs.

"I had to protect my family, their safety was my first, if not only, priority." This statement could easily backfire on her and she knew it.

Tony didn't disappoint. "So, you're saying we aren't family? You didn't care about what could happen to us. Do you have any idea of what we lived with since you left?"

Jenny had had enough. "I can't believe you would think that, you're the one who pushed me away, you're the one who decided I was an evil bitch ready to sacrifice you. I always cared about what happened to all of you. Yes, I was abroad, in hiding, but I always found a way to get some news. You want to be angry at me, you want to resent me, be my guest. Don't let me keep you out! I don't have the energy to fight with you and even if I did, I wouldn't want to waste my breath since your mind seems to already be made up!"

Her angry outburst stunned Tony speechless. He looked away from her and saw that all eyes were on them.

Abby was silently begging him to reconsider, she had just gotten Jenny back and she had no intention of leaving without being sure she would see her again soon.

McGee had observed Gibbs for the better part of the conversation and he was certain that it was taking every ounce of self-restraint not to intervene. He couldn't believe Tony could be so unfair against Jenny. Yes, the fact that she made them believe she was dead hurt but she was alive, she had survived and came back; in his mind that's what was important.

Ducky was watching all this wearily. He had been overjoyed to see Jenny alive and in one piece and he could understand to an extent Tony's attitude but this was getting ridiculous. His accusations against her were cutting and low, she didn't deserve this.

Like Gibbs, he had seen Jenny's friends' various reactions during the conversation and the gears were shifting around in his mind. For him, there was no doubt there was much more to all of this than Jenny was telling them. She seemed to be distorting the truth to not implicate any of the men living with her and this was probably the key: their role was unclear but he was almost sure that they had been part of much more than Jenny's faked death.

After all, he had always been extremely taken aback by the former Director's manhunt. He knew her pretty well and it wasn't like her to use an innocent girl the way she did against her father, no matter how personal this case was, how much she suffered. It wasn't like her.

If he had correctly interpreted the family ties, Grace was really Abraham's granddaughter, and if Abraham's overprotective attitude towards Jenny was anything to go by, he would bet that he had lost his daughter, Grace's mother, probably under horrible circumstances. If this had anything to do with René Benoit, he wouldn't be too surprised to learn that Abraham was the one who had wanted to use Jeanne Benoit against her father.

Ziva didn't know what to think; she was happy to see her friend again but she couldn't help but feel betrayed by the whole thing. They had been partners, it had to mean something, didn't it?

Gibbs combed his hair with his hand. He had gotten Jenny to talk to him; they were slowly starting to reconnect when the team arrived and all hell broke loose.

He knew he couldn't intervene, it was Jenny's fight; he could try to prevent Tony from going too far but that was it.

Tony bowed his head in shame. He realized that not once did he consider what Jenny had been through. She had lost her whole life, had to stay away from the one she cared about, had to pretend to be someone else, and she had no certainty that she would be able to come back. If what she said about always staying informed was true, then he couldn't imagine the helplessness she must have felt.

"I'm an idiot," he muttered, unable to look her in the eyes after having lashed out the way he did.

Jenny sighed in relief and smiled, saying, "Well, it's part of your charm."

Tony raised his head and returned her smile. "I have to break Rule #6, Boss," he said, looking at Gibbs, who nodded. After all, he too had broken it today. "I'm sorry, Jenny. I'm glad you're back."

"Me too, Tony, me too," she replied and she gave him a brief hug.

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><p>Liked it, Hated it? Let me know!<p>

Next chapter will come Monday or Tuesday


	12. Chapter 12: Promise

A/N: I realized I was awfully optimistic when I said I would post at the beginning of the week and I apologize.

Bad news, way too much work and things to do in and not enough time made of this week a bad one and even writing didn't seem that appealing. Anyway, I'm feeling a little better so I give you this chapter. I hope you enjoy it and as always, thank you for your reviews and thank you JibbsGal1.

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><p>Chapter 12: Promise<p>

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><p>The tension was slowly melting away and everyone was breathing more easily.<p>

When Jenny had hugged Tony, Abby hadn't resisted the urge to join in but this time she was more careful. Gibbs, Ducky and McGee were watching all of this with tender smiles, and no one noticed Ziva leaving the room, except for Abraham who followed her.

"Last time I saw you, you were a young girl who knew way too much about weapons and fighting techniques, to your mother's utter dismay," Abraham remembered.

"We met before? I heard about you when I was in Mossad, but I don't recall ever seeing you," Ziva said, frowning.

"I went to your home once, just before your mother left with you and your sister, I think," he answered. "You don't want to join the group hug over there?" He nodded towards the living room.

"It has never really been my thing," Ziva muttered.

"I would have thought you would make an exception for Jenny." His tone hardened at that, making Ziva raise her head sharply.

"You can understand that it's a little difficult for me to forget I found her dead two years ago," she snapped.

"You didn't find her dead two years ago, and playing you wasn't her decision. You two were partners, friends even. Seeing her alive should be stronger than whatever feelings of betrayal you have," Abraham stated. "I know what it is to lose people you love and care about and if I was given the chance to see them again, I would do whatever it takes, no matter what they might have done. I wouldn't care. What about you?" And, with that, he went back to the living room, leaving Ziva alone with her thoughts.

She had every right to feel betrayed, Jenny had been her partner. They had depended on each other, had trusted each other with their lives and despite all this Jenny had fooled her, made her believe she was dead. She had every right not to jump in the air, overjoyed.

"As I said, I can understand you're angry. I don't expect you to forget the past two years, I would never ask that, but I hope you can forgive me and maybe trust me again," Jenny said, making Ziva whirl round to face her.

"We thought you died because of us, we thought we failed you. Do you have any idea what it's been like to live with that?" Ziva retorted.

"I protected you, I didn't want you to get caught in the middle of my mess. It wasn't your fight," Jenny tried to explain.

"Isn't it a rule to always work as a team?" Ziva countered.

"You have to understand that what happened had nothing to do with you. I'm sure you learned that I messed up 12 years ago. I had to repair this, alone. If something had happened to you because of me, I would have never been able to forgive myself," Jen responded.

"Like with what happened to Tony, when he almost got blown up?"

"Yes," Jenny nodded, a flash of hurt and pain passing through her eyes quickly but not fast enough for Ziva to miss it, making her almost feel bad for what she said to her friend.

"I realized that, since I joined NCIS, our relationship changed, we drifted apart. I wish some things had been different but it's too late to change the past. Your friendship was important to me - still is. Maybe we can try to go back to that," Ziva said slowly. This kind of talk had always been difficult for her.

Jenny nodded again, taking Ziva's hands in hers, holding them tightly.

"Shalom Jenny, I missed you," Ziva told her friend, smiling.

The two women went back to the living room just in time to hear Gibbs's cell phone ring.

He picked it up out of habit and cringed when whoever was at the other end of the line started to yell in his ear. He grunted and hung up after a few moments.

"Leon?" Jenny hazarded a guess.

"He wants us back to headquarters right now. It seems that our victim had some well placed friends who are asking for answers." Gibbs seemed hesitant, torn at the idea of leaving.

"I promise I won't disappear again, Jethro. You have a murderer to catch, the rest can wait until after you find them." Jenny seemed to always be in tune with Gibbs's line of thought.

He went closer to her. "We still need to talk," he whispered. Jenny nodded. "Dinner, my place, tomorrow at 7 pm," Gibbs proposed, and Jenny was a little taken aback by that. She exchanged a look with Abraham, who simply raised his eyebrows, and Jenny accepted Gibbs's invitation.

The team left just as Damian was coming back home.

"Did I miss something?" He asked the moment he set foot in the house and Jenny sighed, pointing at Abraham, choosing him to do the talking.

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><p><strong>January 18th, 2011 6:45 pm <strong>

**Navy Yard, Washington D.C**

Gibbs had never been so eager to solve a case before this one. It was the only thing that kept him away from Jenny, and he had every intention to find the murderer as quickly as possible.

The team seemed to understand Gibbs's state of mind; they updated him in the car and the moment they arrived at the bullpen, they got back to work at a furious rate.

Gibbs and Ducky descended to autopsy together. They had an implicit agreement not to mention their little trip to Arlington until after the case was solved. Gibbs wanted Ducky's opinion on the MO - something was bothering him.

"You're right, there is a contradiction here. Sedatives concealed in food or drinks are more commonly used by women than men but the violence of the trauma at the back of the head and the single bullet between the eyes…"

"Suggest a man. I get it. So, what, we're talking about two attackers, a woman and a man and at least one of them knew their way around the house," Gibbs summed up.

"That's what I think." Ducky answered.

The special agent's phone rang again. "Gibbs."

"Boss, it's Tony, we found something."

"On my way," he said, already marching towards the elevator. "Thanks, Duck."

"You're welcome, Jethro." Ducky responded to the already closed door.

"What do you got?" Gibbs asked when he was back at his desk.

"Abby and I went through all the photos James Drenton had in his study and in his computer. We thought that maybe he photographed something he shouldn't have and we found this," McGee explained.

On the plasma, a picture of Nancy Grand, their victim's best friend's wife, kissing a man who wasn't her husband, appeared.

"We also found some texts that Drenton sent to Nancy Grand in which he threatened her that he would tell her husband about her affair if she didn't. The time code of the photo indicates that it was taken the day before the murder, the same for the texts," Ziva added.

"So to summarize, the wife and her lover killed him to protect their dirty little secret," Tony said.

"Do we know who the guy is?" Gibbs asked.

"A Dave Tanner, he was part of Grand's unit until about a year ago. He lives in their neighborhood," Tony answered.

"Go pick them up," Gibbs said and his three agents stood up and left.

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><p>So what did you think?<p>

Next chapter: the dinner with a twist ;-)


	13. Chapter 13: Unexpected visitors

A/N: You don't know how much your reviews, alerts and such can make me happy. ;-) to left my heart in paris

Life is little calmer so it was easier to find time to write this chapter.

Number 13 with spoilers for "Bury your dead" 5x01. Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 13: Unexpected visitors<p>

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><p><strong>January 19th, 2011 6:00 pm <strong>

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia**

_While Jenny was in Paris, they went to Bob's place, who welcomed them with open arms. Jenny had had a bad feeling and wanted them to be safe. _

_Turned out, she was right. They had been back home for only an hour when they heard the familiar noises of someone picking a lock._

_Hiding in the shadows and prying that Grace wouldn't choose that time to wake up, they heard the stranger going into the study and opening some drawers. _

_Before any of them could decide on a course of action, the door opened again and Jenny entered. Her phone rang before she could close the door and the stranger talked to her._

_"Hello." Jenny answered._

_"Good evening, Madame Director" René Benoit greeted._

_"Good evening. I've been told you want to meet me."_

_"Long overdue. I'm sure."_

_"Just tell me where and when."_

_"Now, in your study," he said, revealing himself. "Hello, Jenny."_

_Nathan , Abraham and Mikhael listened to the conversation, their attention perking up even more when they heard someone opening the back door._

_"Agent Gibbs, I believe." Benoit acknowledged the newcomer._

_Nathan was clenching his fists, losing patience, even more so when he understood that Benoit had taken Jenny's gun's clip when he searched her desk. _

_At last, Jenny sent Benoit on his way without protection. Nathan had to be physically restrained by Mikhael to prevent him from going after Benoit; it wasn't over yet._

_"If the weapon was loaded and I wasn't here, would you have pulled the trigger?" Agent Gibbs asked._

_"I guess we'll never know," Jenny answered, smirking._

_Gibbs left and the three men joined Jenny in the study. She had just poured her bourbon, having barely touched it, and, raising her head, she fixed her gaze on Nathan who was slowly approaching the desk. He took the clip Gibbs had left behind and loaded Jen's gun, his eyes never straying from hers. After a moment, Jenny nodded, looking defeated and Nathan left the house._

_He had had Mikhael doing some research and they had found out about Benoit's yacht at the marina; he knew it was the only place the arms dealer would deem safe for now._

_He saw The Frog pacing on the deck, and he went closer to him without making any sound. _

_"Jeanne, is that you?" Benoit asked when Nathan made a board creak._

_"No, René, it's not Jeanne." Nathan smiled when he saw the recognition in Benoit's eyes, the man paled dramatically._

_"You look like you saw a ghost, René." He went even closer._

_Benoit seemed to have lost the ability to speak and he was trying to back off but Nathan was faster. He grabbed La Grenouille's hand and pressed his thumb on the pressure point._

_"Is that how you killed Jenny's father? Or did you send someone to do the dirty job for you, like you did for my brother, his wife and her mother?" Nathan said, applying the gun against Benoit's head._

_Benoit's eyes were wide open, he seemed to be begging Nathan but he still wasn't uttering a word._

_"Goodbye, René." And with that, Nathan pulled the trigger and watched Benoit fell overboard in the water. His hands were shaking, a mix of adrenaline and rage but he wasn't feeling anything. For a year, they had been chasing this man, tried to make him trip, tried to get revenge. He should be relieved that it was over, he should be … but he just felt empty._

"Nathan, can you zip up my dress for me, please? I think I stuck it… Nathan? Nathan, do you hear me?"

Nathan startled, shaking himself out of his memories and raised his head to look at Jenny standing over him.

"You said something?" he asked.

"I asked you if you could zip up my dress for me. Where were you?" she inquired, watching him closely.

"Nowhere," he answered quickly and Jenny raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "Can you tell me why you're going to, and I quote you, 'a simple dinner with an old friend,' dressed like a walking sin?" he asked, studying her from head to toe.

She was wearing a strapless velvet black dress with a silk waistband, displaying enough cleavage to send the mind of any man into overdrive. It stopped just over the knees, showing off her long legs, and was completed with silver heels and assorted silver jewels. She had let her hair down. In one word, she was gorgeous.

"Could you close your mouth before flies go in? And I don't need a reason to dress up," Jenny replied.

"Okay, sure, you don't need a reason to give this man a heart attack, I got it." Nathan countered.

"Did you forget all about interrogation techniques?" Jenny questioned.

"You're going to interrogate him?" Nathan asked incredulously.

"No, but he's going to interrogate me, so I need something to distract him from that goal," Jenny answered, in a tone she could have used to talk to a particularly annoying two-year-old.

"I have no doubt that's going to work," Nathan said, having some trouble looking at her in the eyes.

"My face is up here and you're acting like you have never seen me in this kind of dress before!" Jenny exclaimed, getting annoyed.

"It's not just the dress, it' s more the glow that goes with it. You look almost happy. It's been a while since I last saw you like this. It suits you," Nathan observed, making Jenny pause and smile.

"Sometimes you say the cutest things," Jenny said and Nathan snorted. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Jenny winked at him before walking away.

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><p><strong>January 19th, 2011 6:30 pm <strong>

**Gibbs's residence, Alexandria, Virginia**

Nancy Grand had been pretty easy to break after spending the night in a cell, and she had confessed everything they needed to know to put her in jail for a long time. Her lover had been another story but, in the end, Gibbs had successfully made him trip up and confirm his role in this murder.

After that, Gibbs had had to announce to Kyle Grand that his wife had killed his best friend to prevent him from revealing her affair with a former member of his unit.

No need to say that it took a while for the poor man to process the news.

The rest of the day had been spent doing paperwork and hoping that the phone wouldn't ring to announce that they had a new case.

At 5:30 pm, Gibbs decided to call it a day and sent everyone home. He ignored the curious looks his team sent his way and left.

He went to the flower shop to buy some orchids, Jen's favorites, and made a stop at their favorite French caterer to order two meals of steak au poivre with asparagus and a 'tarte tropézienne' (a cake composed of a round brioche filled with buttercream and confectioner's custard), a dessert they discovered when they were undercover on the French Riviera. He figured it would put her in better disposition. He hesitated to buy some wine to accompany the meal and decided against it; he didn't think Jenny still drank alcohol.

He arrived home and set up the kitchen table. He had even started to look for some candles before realizing what he was doing. _You're trying too hard, Jethro_, the little voice piped up again - he noticed it sounded more and more like Ducky's - and he had to say, it was right.

He showered and changed into black pants and a white shirt.

When he came back downstairs, someone was there but it wasn't Jenny.

"You're expecting someone, Mr. Gibbs?" M. Allison Hart asked, indicating the table. "I'm not that predictable, am I?" she asked, coyly.

"You wanted something?" Gibbs demanded. He really didn't want her to be there when Jenny arrived. He cringed inwardly while thinking about how it could turn out. _No, no, Gibbs as Abby would say, positive thoughts, positive thoughts_.

"I heard you arrested my client's murderer, I just wanted to know a little more about it." Miss Hart said, her smile as flirtatious as ever.

"He saw something he shouldn't have, tried to be a good guy and give a chance to the person to explain and he paid for it. End of the story," Gibbs explained, plainly.

"Did it have something to do with the advice he asked from me?" The lawyer inquired.

"No," Gibbs answered, slowly starting to see where this was going. "This case is closed, Miss Hart." The warning was clear.

"Maybe, but what my client discovered was pretty suspicious; don't you think someone should investigate? After all, we're talking about potential treason. It's a serious accusation." Her voice was becoming softer; it reminded Gibbs of the hiss of a snake.

"Is that what you're here for? Because you want me to investigate a Congressman?" Gibbs retorted in disbelief.

"And the people he is protecting, yes," Hart confirmed, nodding.

"It's not in my job description. He's not a Marine, he's not Navy, go to the FBI," the special agent suggested, shrugging. He didn't want to appear as nervous as he felt.

"I thought you hated politicians," she said, raising her eyebrows, getting even closer to him.

"Doesn't mean I want to arrest them all," Gibbs answered, watching her every move.

"That's such a shame, it would have been a way to work together again. I really enjoyed it the last time." She was in his space now, and she put her hand on his chest.

He seized her arms to get her off him but before he could say anything someone talked behind them.

"Am I interrupting something?" Jenny asked and Gibbs's eyes widened in horror.

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><p>Hope you don't hate me! I did say there would be a twist!<p>

Next chapter is definitely the dinner with a little confrontation between Jen and Hart, because I just couldn't resist ;-)


	14. Chapter 14: Just between us

A/N: I will never say it enough: thanks for the reviews, alerts, encouragement, support, it really helps a lot.

Here is the confrontation between Jen and Hart, hope you like it ;-)

Spoilers for 5x03 "Ex-file" (I had to!) and 3x07 "Honor Code"

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><p>Chapter 14: Just between us<p>

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><p><strong>January 19th, 2011 7:00 pm <strong>

**Gibbs's residence, Alexandria, Virginia**

It was the first time Jenny left the house on her own in two years. She had almost forgotten how to drive a car! She didn't really know how she had convinced Abraham & Co to let her go; after all, the memory of her last escapade was still vivid in their mind.

Gibbs's house hadn't changed at all, the only thing out of place was the fact there were two cars parked in front of it.

Jenny approached the house slowly and opened the door quietly.

"That's such a shame, it would have been a way to work together again. I really enjoyed it the last time." A brunette was with Gibbs. They seemed to be very close, Jenny noted. She felt her heart clench at the sight of this woman in Gibbs's arms, but then she noticed the expression on the man's face.

"Am I interrupting something?" Jenny asked. She saw Gibbs's eyes widened in horror, and she couldn't help but smirk.

Before the special agent could push Hart away from him, she was already approaching Jenny.

"I guess you're the one Mr. Gibbs was expecting. Margaret Allison Hart," she said, holding her hand out to Jen.

Jenny raised her eyebrows at the 'Mr. Gibbs' and she threw a look at Jethro, who simply shrugged and rolled his eyes. She shook the other woman's hand, the name vaguely reminding her of something.

"Julie Simmons, nice to meet you," she answered, not dwelling too much on the hypocrisy of this greeting. She wanted to know a little more before biting the woman's head off. "You work with Jethro?" she asked, sincerely curious.

"In a way. I'm a lawyer, so our paths crossed several times. We got on pretty well. And you?"

This time Jen's eyebrows literally shot up, almost disappearing in her hair line. She now knew why she remembered the name. This woman was Merton Bell's lawyer, the one because of whom this whole mess with the Reynosa cartel had started. To say she was surprised to find her here with Jethro, saying they were 'getting on pretty well,' was an understatement.

"I'm an old friend. I was transferred out of town a few months ago; I'm in D.C. for a few days so we decided to meet up while we could." _Note to self_, Jenny thought, _Rule #7 "Always be specific when you lie" can come in handy_. "I'm surprised Jethro never told me about you," Jenny added, turning her attention to Gibbs.

He looked positively horrified by the conversation. This scene reminded him of a case they worked on a few years ago with Hollis Mann and his third ex-wife, Stephanie: the little confrontation that had issued between Jen, Hollis and Stephanie had been one of his most embarrassing moments.

Jen could have been amused by his expression if she didn't find the other woman so irritating. She too remembered quite well the scene Gibbs was thinking about.

"You know Jethro as well as I do. He is not really a talker," Miss Hart said with a knowing smile which only angered Jenny.

"We never had that problem, but then Jethro and I are similar like that; we only talk about what's important." It was a little low but well deserved. "And when I said I was an old friend, I wasn't talking about my age. I don't think we can really compare knowing someone for more than ten years and 'crossing their paths' a few times for a few months." Jenny stated, her eyes flashing with fury.

Hart looked a little taken aback by that but she still didn't seem to understand she had more than outstayed her welcome.

"That's not what I wanted to imply at all!" She seemed offended and Jenny rolled her eyes, cutting her off before she could add something else.

"I don't really give a damn about what you wanted to imply. Jethro and I want to have a quiet little dinner, just the two of us, you're not invited. The door is wide open, have a good night." Someone had to intervene, and with Gibbs looking like a gaping fish…

This little rant had shut the lawyer up and, with one more assassin look from Jenny, she took her purse and left quickly.

Jen turned back towards Jethro, her eyebrows raised. "What was that?" she asked.

Gibbs finally closed his mouth and it took him a moment to be able to formulate a coherent sentence. "You tell me! What just happened?"

"I don't know, did I misunderstand you yesterday? Was this invitation to dinner an occasion to introduce your new girlfriend to me?" Jenny almost yelled.

"What? No, of course not." Gibbs answered in disbelief.

"Then, what's the problem?" Jenny asked, confused and pissed off now. "You know what, I'm just gonna leave, it was a mistake."

She started towards the door but he grabbed her arm before she could go too far. He had already let her go once yesterday, he wasn't about to do it again.

"We're gonna start it again, okay? Hi, Jen. I'm glad you could make it. May I take your coat?" He said in an overly charming tone, so not Jethro, trying to coax a smile from the redhead, and it worked.

She shook her head, slipping off her coat, and heard a sharp intake of breath when her dress was revealed.

Gibbs wasn't sure that, after tonight, his jaw would ever be the same. It seemed it had spent the majority of the evening trying to get acquainted with the floor.

He had always thought about Jen as an attractive woman, a really attractive one, but seeing her like this… The dress in itself was simple, not provocative in any way, but it hugged her so perfectly you would think it had been made just for her. Actually, he wouldn't be too surprised if that was the case.

Jenny turned towards him and smirked. "See something you like?"

"I haven't decided yet." And his words echoed with a memory of another time, when she came to his home, dressed up, and asked him a similar question.

"Come on, Jethro, you can do better than that." She was taunting him with a coy smile.

It was amazing how easily they could fall back to their usual pattern of banters and innuendos. For a moment, they allowed themselves to forget they hadn't seen each other in two years.

"You're dazzling, Jen," he whispered in her ear and she shivered, making him smirk.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she answered in a husky voice.

"Come on," he said, leading her to the table, like a true gentleman.

Jenny's eyes fell on the orchids and her eyes lit up.

"You remembered," she stated and Gibbs simply nodded before motioning for her to sit down. When she did, he uncovered the plates and, this time, her eyes widened.

"If we were at work, I would think you have something to ask me," she said without thinking and the moment she ended her sentence, she lowered her head and bit her lip.

Gibbs covered her hands with his. "Hey, it's normal to slip up," he whispered.

She shook her head. "You would think I got used to it."

"You might not want to answer this, but why did you tell SecNav you didn't want to come back to NCIS?" It had bugged him since he heard it the day before.

Jenny sighed, she knew they had to start somewhere but it wasn't the easiest topic. "It would be too much to handle. It wouldn't be good for me, the stress, the screwed up schedule, the risks, I can't do that anymore. Don't get me wrong, I loved my job. I thrived on it. I would have loved to come back but it just isn't possible. Even if I could, imagine the explanations we would have to give, plus, I don't think Leon is ready to give up his job to me anyway. Any other posts would be outside of D.C., and I don't want to have to move again. I have to think about what's best for Grace."

Gibbs nodded, he could understand her reasoning but it didn't mean he wasn't disappointed. No matter Leon's abilities, he had always loved to work with Jenny, even if he would never admit it. She knew him better than anyone else, better than Ducky most of the time, better than himself sometimes. He missed it.

"Not exactly what you wanted to hear?" Jenny told him, tilting her head.

"You do what you have to for family," Gibbs quoted.

"What rule is that?" she asked.

"The unspoken one," he replied.

They were silent for a while, enjoying their meal. The dessert was a real success; it reminded them of Europe and for once they weren't nostalgic.

They moved to the basement, and Jenny was more than surprised to see there was no boat.

"After what happened to the last one, I wanted to try something new," he answered her silent question.

"I heard about it. It seems Mike has a gift to get in trouble," Jenny said, smiling.

"I'm sure he would say the same about you. Is there anything you didn't hear about?" Gibbs laughed but it stopped when he saw her serious expression.

"Not enough, apparently," she murmured, tracing patterns on his workbench.

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><p>Don't forget to hit the little review button before leaving ;-)<p>

Next chapter: another trip down memory lane and a lot of Jibbs


	15. Chapter 15: Heartbreak

A/N: I will never thank you enough for reviewing, favoriting (love that word!), alerting ... Your support and encouragment are really important to me.

Here is number 15 and don't worry about the tittle, I can be a tease but I'm not cruel! LOL!

Disclaimer: I still don't own the show or its character, even if I would love to!

Spoiler for 4x13 "Sharif returns"

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><p>Chapter 15: Heartbreak<p>

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><p><em>Once she came back home, she was more than exhausted - dead on her feet would be a better way to describe it since her legs were barely carrying her. She had spent the better part of the day in MTAC, holding various conference calls, updating and reassuring everyone who needed to be. She hadn't even been able to see how Gibbs was doing; she had just placed a call to Ducky to be sure he would be alright. <em>

_When she had finally left MTAC and decided to call it a day, he had already left, most of the team with him. Only Ziva was still there and when she had asked where everyone was, the look the Israeli sent her made her understand her friend hadn't been fooled and she wouldn't like the answer._

_She leaned on the door, thinking about the past few days and Jethro's attitude. She still couldn't believe he had done that to her. Flaunting his new girlfriend like that, insulting her, demeaning her; it had hurt, really hurt - still did. _

_She had felt something was wrong, she knew Gibbs well enough to see the clues and she had every right to ask about it but what did he do? He brushed her off as if she was talking nonsense and Colonel Mann hadn't been any better. The woman didn't know anything about Gibbs - all the profiling and observing in the world couldn't give her what years of partnership and friendship had taught Jenny. And yet she had pretty much dared to tell her to mind her own business._

_Had she been in a better mood and less tired than she was, she would have given them one of her smug smiles, the one that screamed 'I told you so.' But being right was a very small consolation prize in comparison to the knowledge that Gibbs was with Mann, that he had chosen her to get some comfort after this hell-like week. _

_She sighed, everything was so messed up right now. When she had settled back in D.C, she had known it wouldn't be easy. Gibbs had never been a forgiving man and she hadn't expected a warm welcome but things had gotten better as time passed, their relationship had improved. Of course it wasn't anything like what they had seven years ago but she could work with that. And then, the explosion. It had set everything back; his resentment, his pain had come back full force and, most of the time, she didn't even find it in her to give a witty retort to his cutting remarks._

_She felt something tug on her skirt and she lowered her head, smiling when she saw Grace. They had celebrated her first birthday two weeks ago and she had surprised them all when she had walked, steadily and on her own, towards her presents. Since then, they couldn't stop her; Jenny had even surprised her trying to climb up the stairs._

_She bent down and took the baby girl in her arms, closing her eyes and relishing in Grace's warmth, her smell grounding her in the present and distracting her from her thoughts about Jethro._

_"Are you alright, Jenny?" She hadn't heard Nathan approaching her but then she rarely did. She gave him a look, as if to say 'What do you think?' Nathan smartly decided to not inquire more and he just told her there was some food left. The mere thought of food made her sick so she just wrinkled her nose, making Grace giggle, and she followed Nathan into the living room where she found her men in front of the TV._

_"We heard about what happened to your Agent Gibbs," Mikhael stated, making Jenny roll her eyes._

_"Do I want to know how you get this information?" she asked rhetorically, knowing that they would never tell her._

_"How come you're not with him?" Nathan asked, and the two others gave him a disbelieving look that screamed, 'Do you have a death wish?' Jenny just ignored him as she did most of the times when he felt brave enough to question her relationship with Jethro._

_"You're gonna resent me for that for how long exactly?" Nathan asked in a sardonic tone._

_"Nathaniel , watch your mouth!" Abraham growled. It was never a good sign when full names came up._

_"No, no, Abba, let him talk. Let him tell us how long it should take to forgive someone after what happened." She held up her hand at Abraham before turning towards Nathan. _

_"So Nathan, how long should I resent you for going against my wishes. You decided to pursue Benoit on your own, risking all our lives in the process. You got in a firefight with his men and Naomi died. I had to get you all out of this mess and in order to do that I had to leave the man I love on a plane with a goddamn 'Dear John' letter. What is the standard resentment period for all that?" She had said this in an amazingly calm tone, not wanting to upset Grace by yelling, but her point was made. _

_Nathan lowered his head in shame and Jenny sighed, before continuing. "Look, you screwed up, and badly so; you can't ask from us to forget about what happened and give you our pardon. Your actions have consequences, Nathan. You have to learn to accept them because we won't always be able to clean up after you. I already let the three of you guilt me into this Op; you can't ask more from me. I'm exhausted, I'm going upstairs." And with that, she turned around and left the room, leaving three bewildered men in her wake._

_She entered Grace's nursery, checked if she needed a change, picked a random book in the bookcase and sat in the rocking chair. She read for a little while until she was sure Grace was completely asleep. She kept the little girl snuggled against her. Her diatribe against Nathan had distracted her from her somber thoughts and she wondered if it wasn't what he had intended. She finally put Grace in her bed but she didn't leave; she just stayed in the chair, unable to face the loneliness of her room._

"Jenny, Jenny!" Someone was calling and shaking her. She focused back on the present and found herself looking straight into Gibbs' worried blue eyes.

"Sorry, I zoned out," she said, a little sheepishly.

"You sure you're alright? What were you thinking about?" Gibbs asked, still not letting go of her.

Jenny wasn't sure how to answer that. She had no intention of ever telling Gibbs about the real reasons behind her departure twelve years ago. No matter the resentment she could sometimes still feel against Nathan, she didn't want Gibbs to get in the middle of this; but she had to give him something and with her treacherous twitching right eye, it better be a part of the truth.

"I was just remembering another time when you were involved with someone and never cared to tell me. Not my fondest memories," she said with a sad smile.

Gibbs cringed; he could only blame himself - he had asked after all. Maybe he should have bitten his tongue. He had a pretty accurate idea of what she was talking about. He wasn't particularly proud of what he did. He couldn't say he regretted his relationship with Hollis - she had been an agreeable distraction - but he had handled it badly and he had ended up hurting two women he cared about.

When he had come back from Mexico, his memory still messed up, he had wanted to spite Jen. The pain of losing Shannon and Kelly all over again, the reminiscence of his relationship with Jen and the happiness he had felt at the time, well, maybe not happiness but very close - so close that her disappearance had brought him back to that dark abysses the brutal murder of his family had made him fall into; hence the need to spite her, to make her feel his pain. Of course he had no idea at the time that she knew exactly how he felt.

He had entertained the idea that the gentle, fragile but feisty, as DiNozzo had once said, Stephanie could heal him, could make him forget but he had been a fool and, again, a woman, who had made the mistake of loving him paid the price.

All those emotions, feelings had invaded his mind and his retreat to Baja had given him too much time to think. He had come back to work just to prove Jenny wrong and when he had met Hollis, he couldn't miss the opportunity. He hadn't thought it would get that far, that he would take it so far; but he had and knowing what he knew now, he wanted to head-slap himself.

"Don't beat yourself up, Jethro. Everything would be so easy if we could see into the future or if we could read people's thoughts. Let's say we both were idiots and leave it at that." Gibbs couldn't help but marvel at Jenny's ability to read him and his wide, surprised eyes made her smile. "I already told you once, I learned to speak 'Gibbs' a long time ago."

They both laughed. Gibbs wanted to engrave this moment in his mind forever. He slowly raised his hand and cupped her cheek.

"I want to erase everything that happened, go back and make it right again," he whispered.

"You can't, Jethro. It's not good to live in the past; we both know that all too well," she murmured.

They hadn't even noticed they were just a breath away from one another. Jenny could see what Gibbs wanted in his eyes, and she was happy to oblige.

There were still many things they needed to say but for now they just wanted to enjoy their newfound closeness.

However, the moment their lips touched, Gibbs' cellphone rang, causing him to grunt. He entertained for a few seconds the idea of not answering but his bad habits caught up with him and he answered even more gruffly than usual.

Jenny seemed to be in a playful mood, for the moment he responded to the call, she started to kiss and nip his jaw, slowly making her way to his ear. When she got there, Gibbs tightened his hold on her, sending her a look but she wasn't fazed and she attacked his ear. The Special Agent covered the moan that escaped with a cough and quickly finished the conversation with dispatch.

He blindly put his phone on the workbench and properly kissed Jenny until she was out of breath. He then attacked her neck, making her moan this time.

"You have to go, don't you?" she said, her voice more hoarse than usual and Gibbs remembered how much he loved her voice like that.

He nodded but he didn't want to let go.

"We have time, Jethro. I promised you I wasn't going anywhere," she said, taking his face in her hands.

He nodded again and sighed. "A rain check, then?" he said, more than asked, not really willing to give her an opportunity to say 'no.'

"A rain check," she confirmed.

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><p>See, I'm not cruel<p>

Don't forget to hit the little review button before leaving ;-)


	16. Chapter 16: The people vs Hart

A/N:I'm so sorry for the hectic updates but exams are coming up. I love nurse school, I really do but right now it sucks. For the next three weeks I'm gonna be extra busy but I will try to update as much as I can.

This is kind of a transition chapter, not very long, spoilers for "Freedom" 8x13. I will be using some season 8 episodes, not necessarily in the right order.

As always I love you all for reading, reviewing, alerting, favoriting ... You will make me very happy if you continue to do so ;-)

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><p>Chapter 16: The people vs. Hart<p>

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><p><strong>January 25th, 2011 7:00 am<strong>

**Navy Yard, Washington D.C**

It had been a while since a case hit him like that. It wasn't the first time he was confronted by domestic violence but he had never been able to understand how men could beat up their wives, threaten their kids - what pleasure it could bring them? He just didn't get it.

He might have not been the best husband to his last three wives but he had never been violent with them, his wives on the other hand…

Gibbs couldn't get out of his head what the bar owner told him when they arrested him: _"Tell me, wouldn't you have done the same thing?"_ He could relate to the man: the woman he had fallen in love with was threatened by her husband and he had wanted to save her.

Twice, Gibbs had avenged a woman he loved, couldn't help and lost, never caring about the consequences it could have for him and he would do it again.

His mind had been full of thoughts about Shannon, Kelly and Jenny during this case and, for once, he tried to focus on the good memories to not let it swallow him up.

Gibbs remembered vividly his evening with Jenny almost a week ago, and he couldn't wait for the raincheck. He had spent so much time trying to convince himself he had come to terms with her death that he was only realizing now how much he had truly missed her and what they had. Even before her disappearance, he had felt like he was slowly losing any connections they had and there was nothing he could do about it. Their fights seemed more real, like they were really trying to hurt each other, and they had.

They both had a lot to make up for, he thought, and smiled when he recalled how they used to 'make up.'

The day before, Ducky had finally decided to ask about Jen and the smirk Gibbs had given him had told him everything he needed to know. Gibbs had chosen not to say anything about his relationship with Jen, or whatever it was at the moment, until things were a little clearer. He knew the team was curious, he saw the way Abby bit her lip each time she was about to ask him about her, but he wanted to wait. Talking about it would raise his hopes, and he didn't want that yet.

Today, he would call Jen and they would set up something.

As he stepped out of the elevator, his second coffee of the day in one hand, he did a double take at the bullpen: five people were already there and none of them looked like his team.

Jenny was sitting at his desk, Grace on her lap. The little girl seemed to dislike her mom's brunette, shoulder length with bangs, wig so much she kept pulling on it until Jen caught her hands in hers, preventing her from doing it again. She pouted and turned away from Jenny, who simply shook her head, smiling.

The wig reminded Gibbs of Serbia and for a few seconds he let the memories of that week invade his mind. The look on Jen's face told him she knew exactly what he had been thinking.

"Hello, Jethro," she greeted, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Jen," he nodded at her.

"I don't think the two of you have met yet," she said, looking at Congressman Bob Sommers who had accompanied her, along with Nathan and Mikhael.

The politician and the special agent shook hands, sizing each other up. they looked like wild animals marking their territory. Gibbs remembered Cynthia's slight hesitation when she said Bob was a friend, and he had always wanted to know more about Jen's relationship with him.

Jenny watched them with a coy smile and after a moment she spoke again. "When you are finished with the silent staring and the pissing match, maybe we will be able to tell Jethro why we're here. Just a suggestion," she added.

They dropped hands immediately and turned towards her, Bob with a sheepish smile and Gibbs with a questioning look.

Jen nodded towards Nathan, who turned the TV on.

_"We just learned that the FBI opened an investigation after an accusation of treason was made against Congressman Bob Sommers. The plaintiff, who wishes to stay anonymous, accuses the Congressman of allowing foreign criminals to illegally enter the country by providing them with fake passports and IDs and by housing them. Lawyer Margaret Allison Hart represents the plaintiff, and she stated that she would do everything in her power to be sure this complaint would receive the attention it deserves and that all light would be shed on this case. Congressman Sommers didn't make any statements on this matter as of yet."_

While the ZNN reporter spoke, images of Jenny and Sommers at various events unfolded on the screen and Nathan turned the TV off.

Silence fell on the bullpen as Gibbs pondered what he saw. It seemed Hart hadn't taken to heart his advice, no pun intended. He knew she could be relentless, but she was pushing it too far, way too far. If the FBI put their nose in this case, they would discover Jen was alive and the existence of her little family. From what he gathered, neither them nor SecNav wanted this to happen.

"You need me to call Fornell," he stated at last. It appeared to be the only way to deal with this: setting up a meeting between Fornell, SecNav, Sommers and probably Jenny, to find a suitable solution that everyone would agree on.

Jenny nodded. "I could do it, but I wouldn't want to give the poor man a heart attack." There was a slight trace of bitterness in her tone and Gibbs had to remember that the last time the former Director and the FBI agent saw each other, the latter had accused the former of murder.

"Does SecNav know?" Gibbs asked.

Jenny nodded again. "He warned us, we convinced him to let us handle this but the FBI is going to need reassurance," she sighed before continuing. "I underestimated her, I shouldn't have gotten carried away the other night. It probably pissed her off."

Gibbs shook his head. "Not your fault; she already had that in mind before she met you. I tried to get her to drop it but she wouldn't hear any of it," he explained. "It's gonna be fine, Jenny. She doesn't know the half of the story, she can't prove anything and since we're gonna have the FBI's full support..." he added when he saw her defeated look, and only Jen could detect the irony when he mentioned the FBI. "Let me call Fornell, I will take care of this."

Everyone seemed to agree on that, and they started to leave. Jen indicated to the others to keep walking and she would join them later. She turned towards Gibbs.

"About that raincheck..." she started, throwing a quick look around before circling her arms around his waist. "Tomorrow night, Nathan, Abraham and Mikhael will all be working, so I thought maybe I could pay you back by cooking you dinner at my place. Grace will be there, but I don't think you will have a problem with that."

He pretended to think about it, while rubbing her back. "I don't know. The last time you cooked something, our safe house in Paris almost burned down …" Before he could finish his sentence, she hit him in the chest.

"Hey, that was just one time and it was your fault, you distracted me!" she answered, offended.

He laughed out loud and kissed away her pout. "I was just teasing you, Jen. I will be glad to come and have dinner with you and Grace."

Jenny smiled, a real, thousand watts smile. "Great then, I will see you tomorrow." With that she turned around and left, a trail of perfume lingering behind her.

He breathed it in, closing his eyes and another smile came on his face when he realized she still wore the classic Chanel n°5.

"You alright, Boss? You seem a little goofy. Oh what was that for!" DiNozzo would really never learn.

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><p>Don't forget the little review button to share your thoughts<p>

Next one the raincheck!


	17. Chapter 17: Just go with the flu

A/N: I'm working on this chapter since Sunday, it's annoying to only be able to write 30 minutes per day.

At least you get a longer chapter than usual.

As always thanks for reading, reviewing, thanks for the love and support. Only one more week and I will post more.

So here is the raincheck. Enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 17: Just go with the flu<p>

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><p><strong>January 26th, 2011 9:00 pm<strong>

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia**

Gibbs finally arrived at Jenny's place; he thought he would never make it. Since they didn't have a case, Vance had decided to sign them up for every seminar they had managed to escape lately. Then they had to finish some paperwork and, at last, another team leader had asked his help about a mission he was running in MTAC. He hadn't even headslapped DiNozzo when he had wished for a case because frankly he too was hoping for it, just to get out of headquarters. He hadn't even been able to call Jenny to tell her he would be really late.

He knocked at the door and waited. A moment later, the door opened revealing a harassed-looking Jenny. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants, her hair were tousled, and she had dark rings under her eyes with no make-up covering them. When she saw it was him, she had a confused expression, then the dots connected, her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh my Gosh! I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. Grace got sick last night and I spent the day taking care of her. I should have called you." She was speaking so quickly he had a hard time following.

"Hey, breathe, it's okay, I understand. It's not like I had other plans. There isn't a boat waiting for me in my basement anymore," he answered, grinning, making her smile.

"Some things never change; you still live like an hermit," she said, still smiling.

"Do you need any help? I know you have three boys with you…" he started, but she cut him off.

"They are not here. When Grace is sick, she gets really clingy with me and the 'boys,' as you call them, just get in the way," she explained; but seeing his disappointed expression, she added, "But maybe you could help me with the chicken soup. I've been trying to get her to eat and drink something all day but she couldn't keep anything down. I hope the soup will help. I know I was supposed to cook but…"

"No, it's okay. I will make the soup; I know what it is to take care of a sick child." The moment he finished his sentence, they both froze, the blunt reference to the time he was a father surprised them both. Gibbs' eyes were wide; he seemed to be staring off into space. Jenny sighed and slowly raised her hand to his face to cup his cheek. The contact snapped Gibbs out of his thought and he refocused his eyes on her.

"I can understand if it is too difficult for you, you don't have to do this," she said in a soft voice.

He smiled slightly and covered her hand with his, trying to convey all the reassurance he could without saying a word and, after a moment, Jenny nodded, leading him inside just as Grace was calling for her.

If he was quite honest, Gibbs had decided to stay because when Jenny opened the door, he saw a new facet of her: the mother, the one who didn't care about being seen completely disheveled in oversized clothes. It had been a long time since he last saw her being so free; her time as Director had been all about appearances, keeping up a good front, a façade and hiding every emotion behind it.

This Jenny looked a lot like the one he met all those years ago but she seemed softer, as if the weight that was oppressing her had been lifted and she could breathe again.

Gibbs made his way to the kitchen and got to work, trying to push away the images of another redheaded little girl.

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><p>When he went upstairs, carrying three bowls of soup on a tray, he let the sound of a TV guide him towards Grace's room.<p>

It was a bright room with yellow walls, wooden furniture and fuzzy, yellow wall-to-wall carpet. There were a lot of pictures on the walls; some of places Gibbs identified as Israel, Switzerland, Italy; some others were family portraits. One particularly caught Gibbs' attention: on it Jenny was holding a little baby girl, whom he guessed was Grace. She had the softest expression, as if she couldn't believe that she was holding this baby, as if she was scared she would disappear.

It reminded him so much of how Shannon and him had felt when Kelly was born that he took a sharp breath, startling the two girls from the pictures who were sitting together, cuddling on the bed and watching some princess… _no, definitely not a Disney princess movie_, Gibbs thought after seeing a creature that looked like an hybrid of a dragon and a pterodactyl.

He turned towards Jenny, his eyebrows raised so high they were almost touching his hairline.

"The Lord of the Rings," she answered simply, confusing him even more.

"Isn't she a bit young to watch this?" he asked in disbelief.

The assassin look Grace threw his way answered his question more clearly than Jenny could have.

"Okay," he said slowly, backing off. "I got the soup," he added and they settled the tray on the bed.

Gibbs observed Jenny intently as she helped Grace with her soup; the affection and tenderness he could see tugged at his heart.

About an hour and a half later, the movie ended. Grace had fallen asleep in Jenny's arms, who seemed to be close to it herself given the way her head was getting heavier on his shoulder.

She still seemed to have enough strength to tuck Grace in, turn the TV off and guide him out of the room.

"It's late, you can stay here if you want. I mean there is enough room in this place for you to sleep in if you want to, I mean…" she was fumbling with words and she let out a frustrated sigh.

"Do I make you nervous, Jen?" he smirked, getting closer.

She just growled and hit him on the arm. "Stop mocking me!" She turned around and entered another room.

Gibbs stifled a laugh and followed her in what he realized was her bedroom. It was quite different from her old one with the modern furniture, the walls were a soft ivory color, it looked peaceful. She was in the en-suite and he waited for her, sitting on the bed. When she emerged from the bathroom, she cocked an eyebrow.

"That's funny, I was sure I told you there were other rooms for you to sleep in?" She was trying to hide the amusement in her tone but he still heard it.

"If you don't want me here, I can leave," he answered, smirking.

"Do what you want, I'm way too tired to care," she replied in the same amused tone.

"Come here," he said, leaning back against the headboard and opening his arms for her. He could see she was exhausted, and he wasn't interested in any funny business for now. But he knew that was when she was the most vulnerable, if he wanted her to talk it was now or never. The second 'b' still stood for 'bastard' after all.

He waited until she was settled before starting the questions.

"Why did you never tell me about Grace?" He felt her tense up at the question and rubbed her arms to calm her down.

She sighed. "When she was born, they were in hiding. Everyone believed they were dead and it had to stay that way. I couldn't talk about them to anyone. Beth and Jacob were killed just a week after you left for Mexico, just a week after I discovered you lost your first wife and daughter, what was I supposed to do? Call you and say, 'Hello, Jethro, the best friend I never told you about just died and she left her child in my care. Do you want to help me raise her or should I give you some more time to grieve your family's death?'"

Sometimes Gibbs talked without thinking and it had been a while since he had had a conversation with someone who could talk back to him the way Jenny did.

"And when I came back?" He was being dense on purpose but they had to start somewhere.

"You mean when every conversation we had turned into a fight and not the wit contest kind, when you seemed to resent anything and everything or after you started dating Colonel Mann and you couldn't stop yourself from flaunting it in my face? That certainly would have been a great moment. Not mentioning the fact that revealing Grace's existence would have meant explaining the undercover op Tony was in and we both remember how that went, don't we?"

Gibbs had overestimated her tiredness or he had underestimated her abilities to retort when half asleep, he wasn't sure which yet.

"I would have understood if you had come to me and told me what was going on…"

She cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "No, you wouldn't have because it wasn't me, I never wanted to do this. I never wanted to include Benoit's daughter, I never wanted an innocent to be involved in this mess. I tried to stop them, I tried to make them follow my lead but they didn't listen to me. They were out for blood and they didn't give a damn if someone who had nothing to do with it was hurt. The op was a middle ground, and using Jeanne Benoit was Abraham's idea; he lost his daughter so for him it was only fair to involve the daughter of the man responsible. Each time I failed to make a case against Benoit and send him to jail, it just gave them more confirmation that their way was the best. You have no idea what hell it was. I didn't want Benoit to die, I wanted him to rot in jail but when Nathan killed him, it was such a relief that I didn't care anymore about the consequences it could have for all of us." During her rant, her breathing had accelerated and she was close to crying, having so many emotions she had kept bottled up coming out unexpectedly hit her hard. Her voice caught in her throat and the tears started to fall.

He hadn't expected her to say so much but it seemed the dam was opened and nothing could stop it. He held her as she sobbed, her tears wetting his shirt and he wondered since when she had wanted and needed someone to tell all that to. He whispered nonsensical soothing words to her until he realized she had cried herself to sleep.

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><p>He must have drifted off too at some point because he was unable to remember when Jenny had left his embrace. Looking at the clock, he saw it was nearing midnight, half an hour had passed since Jen had fallen asleep.<p>

She was sitting at the edge of the bed, talking on the phone with Abraham it seemed. He approached her slowly and started massaging her shoulders, she covered her contented sigh with a cough and rested her head on his shoulder.

"She's getting better, she ate a little and kept it, her fever is going down and when I checked on her she was sleeping well. It's okay, Abba, stop worrying. It was just a stomach bug, she will be just fine, you know that better than I do." She ended their conversation after a few more minutes and turned towards her companion.

"I'm surprised I didn't get a call from all three of them every fifteen minutes like I usually do!" She said, rolling her eyes.

"They just want to be sure you're alright, it seems they don't like to leave you on your own," he retorted, smirking.

"That's the understatement of the year, the word 'overprotective' was created just for them!" _She was adorable with a pout_, he thought.

He decided wisely to not point out that maybe they had some reason to be and he changed the subject. "I called Fornell today; he will be coming to headquarters the day after tomorrow if that's alright with all of you."

Jenny nodded. "What did you tell him?" she asked, curiously.

"I just said we needed him on a case that could involve the FBI; I didn't mention anything specific in case he would try to check it out."

"It's best not to spoil the surprise," she said with a slightly evil smile.

"Be nice," he admonished playfully.

"I'm always nice," she replied in a mock offended tone.

Instead of countering, he just used the only effective way to shut her up he knew about and kissed her, stealing the breath out of her. One of her hands tangled in his hair and she moaned, clinging to him desperately. His hands found their way under her T-shirt to caress the smooth skin of her back and she shivered at the contact. After a few moments, they finally broke off to get a much needed gulp of air, their eyes had turned a few shades darker and they could read in them what the other wanted. Seeing Gibbs hesitating, Jenny took the lead. She forced him to lie down by kissing him full force. Exploring his chest she decided the shirt was getting in the way and managed to take it off without disturbing their make out session. Gibbs returned the favor and, before Jenny could realize it, he had spun them and was carefully lying her on her back. Sensing that he was holding back, probably remembering all too well what had happened when Abby had hugged her too tightly, she cupped his cheek and forced him to look at her in the eyes.

"I won't break," she promised him and, seeing no twitching, he finally went past his hesitation and started creating new memories with the amazing woman he had never been able to forget or replace.

For hours, they rediscovered each other and, at last, they fell asleep more than contented, arms and legs entwined in such a way you would think they didn't want to ever be separated again.

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><p>So what did you think? Liked it, hated it?<p>

Reviews are like chocolate to me ;-)


	18. Chapter 18: A rifle can't solve

A/N: Exams are over which means I'm finally on holiday which means I have more time to write!

Thanks for reading, alerting, favoriting, I love you all

Huge thanks to JibbsGal1, MissJayne (this one is for her ;-), left my heart in paris, hopesmom, Tempe4booth for their reviews

Spoilers for 8x14 "A man walks into a bar ..."

Hope you enjoy

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><p>Chapter 18: A rifle can't solve everything<p>

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><p><strong>January 27th, 2011 6:00 am<strong>

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia**

_She didn't have Jethro's skills with a rifle but, during her childhood, she had pretty much forced her father to teach her how to handle weapons and her time at NCIS had reinforced this training. She had observed her target for a while and she had found the ideal location to proceed with her plan. The area was clear, not too many passersby. It would be easy, she just had to wait for her to come out of the courthouse. It wasn't long before the brunette lawyer, who had decided to claim Gibbs, appeared in the sight. Jenny waited until her client moved away and she fired._

"Must be a pretty good dream for you to smile like that. Was I in it?" And with that, Jenny's eyes shot open. She was a little disoriented for a second, wondering how her pillow could possibly talk to her and move beneath her, until she remembered the events of the previous night and Jethro's presence.

"You wish you were in it," she answered, raising her head to watch her lover. He laughed at her reply and kissed her slowly, stroking her back.

"Good morning," he said when the need for oxygen forced them to break apart.

"You can say that. You're getting your old habits back?" she asked, and elaborated when he raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Watching me sleep."

"There is not much else to look at," he said and looked really confused when Jenny burst out laughing.

"That's exactly what Mike said when I told him to stop looking at my ass …" Jenny started to explain before Gibbs cut her off.

"Wait a minute, why the hell was Mike looking at your ass?" Gibbs asked, outraged.

"You are becoming green with jealousy. You're not going to fly all the way to Mexico just to punch him, are you?" Jenny said, teasingly, always happy to get a rise out of him.

"Wouldn't you love that?" he replied, knowing exactly what she was trying to do.

To retaliate, Gibbs rolled them over, pinning her under him and, using his knowledge of her body against her, started tickling her, making her squeal and writhe. They were having fun until the door burst open and Nathan entered, his gun pointed towards them. Surprise and confusion registered on his face and after a few moments he lowered his gun.

"What the hell is going on here?" he bellowed.

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><p>It took Jenny a while to explain the situation to her boys and settle Nathan down enough to prevent him from putting a bullet in Jethro's skull. When she finally went back upstairs, Gibbs was ready to go.<p>

"Is it safe for me to leave or will they wait for me with the shelling?" he asked half serious, half teasing.

"I would say it's not safe so you would stay a little longer but I know that's not going to happen," she answered.

"Can't stand to be away from me, Jen?" Gibbs smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Jethro, I can't bear it when you're far away. I would love to be attached to you forever so we would never be separated ever again," she said, in a dreamy tone imitating perfectly a romantic schoolgirl.

"Ball and chain already? I didn't signed up for this, maybe I should flee while I still can," he replied, while taking her in his arms.

"Don't even think about it," she whispered, kissing him, biting down slightly on his lower lip to deepen the kiss. After a moment she stopped the kiss and, while pushing him towards the door, said, "Now, you can go."

"I get it, you're only using me to scratch an itch, aren't you?" he retorted, feigning hurt and outrage.

"Took you long enough to understand." she said it so seriously that Gibbs was taken aback for a second until she couldn't hide her smile anymore.

"Will I see you tonight?" he asked a little uncertainly and she made a face.

"I would have loved to but there is a function Bob and I have to attend tonight," she explained and he could see she was sincere.

"It's alright, I will see you tomorrow at headquarters, and, remember, be nice to Fornell," he reminded her. She looked almost sheepish for a second before grinning widely and he knew he was in trouble. "What do I get if I play nice?" she whispered in his ear, biting and licking his ear lobe playfully and, as always when she did that, he moaned, pressing her against him a little more.

"Whatever you want," he replied, his voice deepening and his eyes darkening.

"I will remember that," she said before stopping her caresses and walking away.

He stood there, shocked for a moment until he heard her say, "You're gonna be late for work." Shaking himself, he grinned when he realized she could still drive him completely crazy and he loved it.

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><p><strong>January 28<strong>**th****, 2011 8:00 am**

**Navy Yard, Washington D.C**

Jenny was anxious; she knew they didn't have another choice than to reveal to Fornell she was alive but that didn't make this any easier. Having to hide her identity for more than two years had given her some habits that would be hard to lose. Fornell was discreet, of course, but it was already the third time she was coming to NCIS. People were going to connect the dots at some point and once they would, a lot of things would change for her family. She just hoped they were ready for that.

Nathan was still reeling after finding her with Jethro the previous morning, and it would take time to convince him she knew what she was doing. The problem of them having contact at NCIS was they had heard things she would have never told them about. Her relationship with Gibbs had always been complicated, whether they were romantically involved or not, they had a special bond. They knew each other too well and when they were hurting they needed the other to hurt too. They unleashed their anger at the other because they knew exactly which buttons to push and which lines not to cross. Granted, they crossed those lines more than once but it's the thought that counts, isn't it?

The ding of the elevator finally stopping at the bullpen floor pulled her out of her thoughts. Bob, always the gentleman, led her gently out of it. They were early; they had wanted to arrive before there were too many people in the building.

She couldn't help but smile when she noticed Tony imitating a horse while Leon was observing him from the stairs. Her smile widened even more when Leon introduced the woman at his side as a psychiatrist. She knew how difficult it was to get the team to deal with the psychological evaluations, not that she had been a big fan herself.

The elevator opened again behind them and Gibbs got out of it. He brushed against her and she shuddered slightly. As always, he knew how to make his entrance and said, "No, can't talk here, we've got a dead commander on the USS Colonial."

Jenny was a little disappointed to see them already leaving before she even got the chance to say hello.

Gibbs finally agreed to take the doctor with them and when the team noticed Jenny, they hesitated, looking between Dr. Cranston and herself, not sure they wanted to give the psychiatrist a reason to question them about Jenny. A slight nod towards the elevator from Gibbs got them moving. They looked apologetic when they walked by her but she understood and it wasn't like they wouldn't see her again.

Vance greeted them and together they went to his office to wait for the FBI Special Agent.

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><p>An hour later, Fornell was in the bullpen, a little surprised to find Gibbs absent. He was checking his agenda when Director Vance called him from the catwalk.<p>

He tried to appear unfazed at this bizarre development and followed him to his office.

Entering, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he saw Congressman Bob Sommers sitting at the conference table. He wasn't on this case but he worked closely with the agent who was. There had to be something really, as Abby would say, hinky for Gibbs to call him about a politician; he remembered pretty well his friend's aversion to men like Sommers. Looking around, he noticed a woman standing at the window, her back to them, looking out; this woman seemed awfully familiar, from the red hair to the way she held herself. _It couldn't be_, he thought, _you're just influenced by the memories from this office_. But then maybe not, as the moment the woman turned towards him, he realized he had been right. He felt his jaw hit the floor and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Jenny was smirking, until she remembered she had to play nice so she assumed a more serious expression and refrained the urge to ask him if he needed any help picking his jaw off the floor.

After a moment, Tobias seemed to overcome his shock and simply said, "You look good for a walking dead."

"I always knew you were a gentleman, Tobias," Jenny replied, her smirk back in place.

Before Tobias could reply back, Vance interrupted.

"If the pleasantries are over, maybe we could discuss the matter at hand."

"I think I have an idea of what you're about to ask me," Fornell said as he and Jenny sat at the table. "I'm not sure there is anything I can do."

"We need you to take the lead of this investigation. We can't involve your Director without it becoming some conspiracy but if you can prove that the accusations against Congressman Sommers are unwarranted, it will just disappear," Vance explained.

"But I guess if you're asking that from me, that they are warranted," Fornell countered.

"It's not that simple," Jenny said. "Bob did help some people in entering the country illegally and housed them but the people in question are me and former Mossad operatives who saved my life. They're not criminals. Director David could confirm that to you."

Fornell thought about all of it for a moment. "The agent on this case asked me for my advice and help; it's his first high profile case and he is not really at ease with it. I could convince him to let me take the lead but I can't assure you that I will be able to make it disappear."

"We're not asking you to go rogue on this, it's not about pretending there is no case. It's about giving believable enough evidences for everyone to drop it. Their identities can't be revealed, you can imagine the damage it would cause. We need more time to handle their return, we can't have the FBI searching in Congressman Sommers' life," Vance clarified.

Fornell nodded, understanding the issue. He knew what damage an investigation from an agency who wasn't read in on a case could do to said case. He had had enough fights with Gibbs about this.

"Well, at least this confirms one thing," he said. "Gibbs really knows how to pick his women."

And Jenny imagined Fornell at the end of the rifle instead of Hart.

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><p>So, what did you think?<p>

Reviews are like chocolate ;-)


	19. Chapter 19: Rest in peace

A/N: Writer's block are really an awful thing. I don't wish to it anyone, really! I will try to make it up to you. :-)

Thanks to left my heart in paris, JibbsGal1 (I couldn't do this without you!), mysterywriter94, Tempe4Booth, jstapny, Miss Jayne for their awesome reviews and thanks to everyone who read this story.

Spoilers for "A man walks into a bar ..." 8x14

Hope you enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 19: Rest in peace<p>

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><p><strong>January 30<strong>**th****, 2011 8:00 pm**

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia**

After bringing Rachel Cranston back to the Navy Yard, he saw his whole team plus Ducky and Abby waiting at his desk.

It had been a long couple of days for his team: a tricky case, psychological evaluations, digging up memories that they would have rather stayed buried. The team was exhausted but it seemed they weren't ready to part yet and he had an idea of what they wanted to do right now.

He wasn't sure it was such a good idea but, as always, he couldn't resist Abby's puppy dog eyes and with a sigh and a nod, everyone followed him to the elevators to head towards Arlington.

The trip was silent which in itself made Gibbs worried. Ducky and Abby were driving with him and they were never silent.

Fifteen minutes later, they were all standing at Jenny's doorstep. Gibbs knocked and after only a few seconds, Abraham opened the door. He didn't say a word, just observed them and Gibbs could see the hesitation in his eyes. He didn't trust them, but then, he couldn't blame the man. Gibbs didn't trust Jenny's boys either.

He finally let them through and led them to the living room. They could hear Jenny and Grace talking together.

"Why did they come back? I don't like them, they hurt you last time," Grace said and they could easily imagine the pout on her face.

"They're part of the family, sweetheart, I want to see them," Jenny answered gently.

"But why? We don't need them, they weren't here before and we were fine," Grace replied, stubbornly.

"They were around before, you were just too little to remember," Jenny explained, in the same gentle and loving tone. "If we didn't see them lately, it's because they didn't know where we were, they couldn't find us. If it had been possible, I would have wanted them around."

When they entered the room, Grace was on Jenny's lap, a doubtful expression on her face. She turned towards them immediately to look them over. Jenny imitated her and studied them for a minute - noting without a doubt the emotional exhaustion written on all their faces - before looking at Abraham. The two seemed to have a silent conversation until Abraham sighed and nodded.

"Nathan, Mikhael, we're leaving," he yelled on his way out of the room.

Grace gave the impression she was debating between following her grandfather and staying with her mom. In the end, she decided to stay, probably not trusting the team enough to leave her mom alone with them.

They didn't know what to do with themselves, and after a moment, Jenny took pity on them and invited them to sit while she was fetching some drinks.

Bringing back beers, sodas and water, she put them on the coffee table and, turning towards Abby, she said, "Sorry, Abs, I don't have any Caf-Pow for you."

Her smile dissolved the tension and everyone started to relax.

"So, do you want to tell me what's bringing you here or do I have to guess?" she added, when no one seemed disposed to start a conversation.

"We had a strange couple of days to say the least." As always, the polite Ducky informed their host.

"Does it have anything to do with Dr. Cranston, the psychiatrist conducting the psychological evaluations?" she asked.

"Turns out she was Kate Todd's sister. She wanted to meet the people close to Kate when she died," Gibbs answered and Jenny winced, imagining how difficult it must have been for all of them to relieve those particular memories.

She had never met Agent Todd but, from what she gathered from her file, Ducky and from what she saw when the team was after Ari, she could tell how much she had mattered for the team. Her death had hit them hard, it had been so unexpected, and they had been so helpless in preventing it. They were still grieving for her.

She wasn't sure what was the best way to react. They had come to her, probably to reassure themselves, to be certain they hadn't imagined her return, that she was really here contrary to Kate Todd.

She sighed internally, she had only recently thought about the impact her own fake death had had on the team. She had never thought they considered her to be an important part of the team, as Agent Todd had been, especially at the time of her disappearance in Los Angeles, but seeing them here she realized how wrong she had been.

Her little girl interrupted the course of her thoughts.

"Who was Kate Todd?" Grace asked. Her tone had lost its hard edge; she seemed more sympathetic now, realizing that the team had no intention to hurt her mom and that they knew what loss meant.

"She was an NCIS agent and a dear friend of ours," Gibbs explained softly, glancing towards Abby, who had been abnormally quiet since they left Washington.

Jenny and Grace noticed his glance and they exchanged a look. Jenny nodded and Grace approached Abby slowly. She was carrying some sort of stuffed animal, a wolf it seemed. Gibbs found it a pretty strange choice for a little girl.

"Do you want him to give you a hug? He always makes me feel better when I feel sad," Grace told Abby, soothingly.

Abby raised her head, looking at Grace's soft eyes, so similar to Jenny's, and took the toy the child was giving her, pressing it against her.

"Thank you," she said, her own eyes brimming with tears.

After a moment of hesitation, Grace hugged Abby and whispered, "I'm sorry for your loss," in her ear.

The Goth's tears were running fully now and she was clinging to Grace as if the girl was her lifeline. The scene moved everyone in the room and even Ziva had difficulty keeping the tears at bay. She excused herself and Jenny followed her.

"Are you alright?" she asked her friend.

"This Dr Cranston made me relive some painful memories, she made me question some of my decisions. I wasn't prepared for that," Ziva answered.

Jenny tentatively put her hands on her friend's arms and Ziva almost threw herself at the older woman. Jenny soothed her the best she could; she was relieved to see Ziva expressing her emotions this way, especially in front of her.

When they returned to the living room, Grace had opened some albums she had looked at in the afternoon with her mom and she was giving details about the photos to the team.

"Your mother and Jenny are almost twins," Abby said in amazement, studying the picture of a younger Jenny, dressed in a summer green dress, standing with her right arm around the waist of a younger woman who was wearing in a summer blue dress. The woman was a redhead too, with green eyes, but the two looked so much like each other it was disconcerting.

"We heard that a lot over the years," Jenny said, a bittersweet smile on the lips. "Are you feeling better?" She asked Abby, noting the young woman's infectious smile was back.

"Yes, thanks to Grace here. You have a wonderful little girl, Jenny," she said, ruffling said girl's hair playfully.

"I know, Abs, believe me, I know," Jenny replied, approaching them to lift Grace in her arms.

Grace's intervention seemed to have lightened them up somewhat and for the rest of the evening they shared happy memories of Kate, and, for the first time, they heard Jenny talk about Grace's parents.

She recounted all their mischief when they were younger, Elizabeth and Jacob's story, Grace's birth and some of the happiest memories she had with her.

One by one, each member of the team fell asleep until only Jenny and Gibbs were left awake. They were observing the team without talking - Grace and Abby on a couch with McGee by their feet, Ducky in a chair and Tony on another couch, his legs stretched on the coffee table, Ziva's head on his shoulder - until Gibbs broke the silence.

"You were amazing tonight with them. They needed it," he praised her.

"Grace did most of the work," Jenny said, smiling and shaking her head while thinking about the child's previous reluctance about the team. "She and Abby are similar in many ways, I think. They both are fiercely loyal to their loved ones, they rely on their instinct to know who to trust and when they don't trust or like someone it is made perfectly clear to the said someone."

Gibbs had a private smile at that, remembering Abby's attitude towards M. Allison Hart. There weren't many people Abby plainly disliked but this lawyer had struck a chord. It should have been a clue for Gibbs to keep her as far away from him as possible, the mess Jenny was in at the moment could have been prevented.

"How did it go with Fornell by the way?" Gibbs asked all of a sudden, remembering that he had yet to hear about it.

"Well, when he finally picked his jaw up from the floor, he listened to us and agreed to do whatever was reasonably possible to help us. He isn't sure it's going to work but he will try to take the lead on the case," she explained seriously and then smirked when she thought about one of Fornell's comments. "He also said that this mess with Hart confirms that you know how to choose your women, and I don't think he was talking about me."

Gibbs groaned. "He is gonna pay for that."

"I was very nice to him," Jenny added, wondering if Gibbs recalled his promise of giving her whatever she wanted if she played nice.

"Huh huh. And what do you want as your reward?" he asked, whispering in her ear, placing his hands on her waist.

"Let start by going upstairs and then we will see what you have to offer, Mister Gibbs." She smirked at the 'Mister Gibbs', knowing he would probably make her pay for it too. She tried to get away but he was quicker and, with a low growl, he threw her over his shoulder and went upstairs.

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><p>Don't forget the little review button. Reviews are like chocolate for me, I can't live without it :-D<p> 


	20. Chapter 20: Bed of roses

A/N: This chapter was written and rewritten so much time I stopped counting them, I think it works better like this

As always thanks for reading, favoriting, alerting and giant thanks to JibbsGal1 (for her review and her editing), She-Demon Sparacino, Tempe4Booth, left my heart in paris, Miss Jayne and Butterfly Queen 123456 for their reviews, lobe you guys!

Spoilers for 8x15 Defiance

Have a good reading :-D

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><p>Chapter 20: Bed of roses<p>

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><p><strong>February 5<strong>**th****, 2011 4:00 pm**

**Lyon Village, Arlington, Virginia**

Jenny and Grace were coming back from the park, where they had spent most of the afternoon. Jenny was a little on edge. Ever since James Drenton's case, her unfortunate murdered neighbor, she had gotten weird looks from the other parents frequenting the park, but she hadn't really paid attention to them. Grace loved this park, she had good friends there and she would be damned if a few narrow-minded people were going to prevent her daughter from enjoying it.

However, today, some mothers had actually forbidden their children to play with Grace and that had pissed Jenny off. It had been established that neither she nor her boys had anything to do with this murder, and she was getting tired of having to justify herself.

She was torn between staying, to prove to those self-righteous people that she didn't give a damn about their opinion and moving house, to protect Grace from that. Her little girl had already been through so much; she shouldn't have to endure that too. She sighed; she would have to seriously talk about it with Abraham, Nathan and Mikhael.

Their principal reason for moving here had been anonymity and tranquility, but more and more people knew about her return. At the moment, they were working with SecNav on an official announcement and the case against Bob Sommers would probably speed up the process. Once the news is out, there wouldn't be any anonymity or tranquility left. She sighed again, thinking back to her dream about M. Allison Hart and a rifle; too bad she couldn't really do that, it would certainly make her feel better.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear Grace call her name the first two times.

"Mommy!" Grace yelled, finally pulling her out of her thoughts.

"What is it, honey?" Jenny asked and Grace pointed towards the front porch of their house. There, sitting and looking defeated, was none other than Timothy McGee.

Jenny raised her eyebrows. She had known NCIS was assuring security for the Belgravian's Defense Minister. Gibbs had called to tell her he would be on protection detail for a few days until the treaty was signed but he hadn't said for who. That didn't explain why McGee was here though.

"Tim?" she called him and placed a hand on his shoulder when he showed no sign of having noticed them.

He startled slightly, his eyes focusing on her.

"Have you been here long?" she asked him gently.

He looked at his watch. "About half an hour. I knocked, no one answered, I decided to wait here a little. I lost track of time," he explained.

"It's one of the few times I'm left alone with Grace. Come on," she said, leading him inside.

Preparing a snack for Grace, some coffee for McGee and tea for herself, she sat down at the table, facing him, Grace on her right.

"So, what's going on?" she regretted not knowing McGee as well as the others but she was glad he had come to her for whatever was bothering him.

"I don't know if Gibbs told you about…" McGee started before being interrupted by Jenny.

"… the protection detail assignment for the Belgravian's Defense Minister? Yes, he told me."

McGee snorted. "Yeah, well it wasn't exactly for the Belgravian's Defense Minister but for his daughter. A Marine was killed in Belgravia and we were asked not to investigate since the local authorities were already on it. We thought we would handle Gorgova's protection detail but Army CID had it covered, so we were left with Gorgova's daughter."

Jenny shook her head. She had fought so hard to be sure that NCIS wouldn't be considered as the bottom of the federal food chain anymore, it was almost insulting to learn that her former agency had been overridden by Belgravian's local authorities and Army CID. Her hands clenched more tightly around her cup of tea when she thought about a certain former Army CID Colonel.

"I'm sure you were all overjoyed by this assignment, no wonder Gibbs was so gruff when he called. I mean more than usual," she added when she saw McGee's raised eyebrows.

"Especially since he decided to ignore orders and work on the dead Marine's case. Things are a little tense with Vance right now," he said.

Jenny had her own suspicions about that but she would have to talk to Gibbs first.

"That's not why you're here, though," she stated. She had interrogated enough people as an agent, and even as Director, to recognize deflection, and that's exactly what McGee was doing.

McGee lowered his head. "Adriana, Gorgova's daughter, she was opposed to the signature of the treaty and she organized her own kidnapping to cancel it. Tony was fetching some food and I was alone with her, she started flirting with me and I really wanted to give in. I almost gave in. Turns out it was a distraction so she could go on with her plan," he recounted, his head still low.

Jenny studied him for a while, buying some time by accompanying Grace in the living room so she could watch some TV. Then, she went back to the kitchen.

"It wasn't the only moment she flirted with you, was it?" she asked and McGee shook his head.

"And she didn't flirt with Tony?" Again, Tim shook his head, this time with a smile while thinking about DiNozzo's reaction when he understood Adriana wasn't interested.

"You wonder if there was any sincerity in her actions or if it was all an act." This time it wasn't a question but McGee nodded anyway.

"I wasn't there, I can't tell you what you want to hear, Tim, but what I can tell you is that no matter if she was sincere or not, it shouldn't make you lose your confidence in yourself. I know it seems easy to say but if she used you at any point then she doesn't deserve you, it's as simple as that." She could see he wasn't really convinced so she switched tactics. "How long have you been on Team Gibbs?" She knew the answer of course but she wanted him to participate in this.

"About seven years," he said, not really seeing the point.

"How many people do you think achieved that, Tony excepted of course? Don't you think it needs some strength, some confidence to come back every day to work with him?"

McGee considered it, remembering his time as a probie. Even now, this job was no bed of roses and he knew that not everyone could work with Gibbs, first because he didn't accept everyone and second because of his methods that were more than a little unconventional.

"I guess," he answered a little uncertainly.

"You are a brilliant, successful writer, with many, many fans all over. You progressed rapidly in your job as an NCIS agent, even Gibbs is proud of you. Why would you not be confident in yourself? Why would you let one girl, who obviously wasn't right for you, make you lose what you worked so hard for?" she asked.

McGee was stunned, he didn't know their former Director thought so highly of him. They didn't know each other well but it seemed she knew a great deal about him.

"Don't look so surprised. If I was able to climb up the ladder of NCIS to the top so rapidly, it's partly because I knew how to recognize talent when I saw it. You're a great agent, Tim, never let anyone make you doubt that. And you have more than NCIS; you have your books, your fans, and trusted friends. You achieved so much, you should be proud," she said, smiling as he was flushing more and more during her speech.

Before he could think about saying anything, his phone rang and his eyes lit up when he saw the caller ID.

"Abby?" Jenny took an easy guess and McGee confirmed it. "You should answer that." She assured him it was okay when she saw him hesitate and he finally got up to answer it in the hallway.

When he came back, a few minutes later, he was smiling. "She wants everyone to meet up tonight at a bar to celebrate still having our badges. She didn't exactly say it like this but that's what she meant. She even tried to convince Gibbs to come but it seems he …" He trailed off at that, blushing again.

"He is going to come here." She smiled, amused at his embarrassment. McGee nodded.

"Go, you need to get ready," Jenny said, and again, he seemed hesitant. "Don't worry, I'm a big girl, I can survive until Gibbs gets here." She winked at him and he smiled.

"Thank you, Jenny," he said after a minute and her smile widened.

"You're more than welcome, Tim. My door will always be open if you need me," she told him.

From the living room, she watched him leave, shaking her head at the thought that it had taken so long for her and McGee to have a conversation that lasted more than five minutes.

* * *

><p>An hour later, someone knocked at the door. Having an idea who it was but knowing she would probably get an earful if she didn't check, she carefully looked through the peephole and opened it with a giant smile when she got the confirmation it was indeed Gibbs.<p>

"Hey," he said, as always a man of a few words.

"Hey, yourself. It's strange, there was a stack of men waiting at my door today, it seems," she announced, enjoying the brief flash of jealousy she saw passing in his eyes. "McGee was here earlier," she elaborated, deciding not to be overly cruel.

"He had a rough couple of days. Almost lost his job, wanted to give it away actually, thought he had screwed up," Gibbs said as he came in. "He needed some cheering up."

"He sure did. I hope he's gonna be okay," she told him, slightly worried.

"I'm sure he will be. He is tougher than he looks," he assured her, encircling her waist with his arms, smiling slightly at her.

"Hi, Gibbs," Grace greeted from the living room's entrance, just when he was bending to kiss her mom.

Jenny laughed at her daughter's timing while Gibbs groaned a little, resting his forehead against hers.

"Hi, Grace," he answered, approaching her and messing with her hair, earning a protest from the little girl. "I come bearing gifts," he said, showing the takeout bags. "Italian," he added.

A little while later, they were situated on the couch in the living room, listening to Grace recounting them stories about the other kids in the park. Having finally accepted the team, she was more open and smiling around them. Gibbs found himself becoming more and more fond of Jenny's little girl.

At first, it had been difficult to just look at her, the resemblance with Kelly had been overwhelming, but he was discovering her personality and, for such a young girl, she had quite a strong one and so different from Kelly's that it was impossible to mix up the two.

"Hey, you're okay in there?" Jenny asked, as she was coming back in the room after putting Grace to bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine, more than fine," he answered, tugging her gently towards him so she fell on his lap.

"McGee told me it was pretty tense with Vance at the moment," Jenny said after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, I don't know what his problem is," Gibbs stated, his tone annoyed at the thought of his new Director.

"I think I know." Jenny started hesitantly and Gibbs gave her an inquiring look. "SecNav called me a few days ago, asking me if I could envisage the possibility of coming back to NCIS, not necessarily as Director. He said he could always find something for me to do. I tried to know where this was coming from, since, the last time we saw each other, I had gotten the impression he was pretty relieved I didn't want anything to do with my former job anymore, and he said that he felt like, ever since he was wounded, Leon didn't have his priorities straight anymore. Leon probably heard about it and didn't take it very well. There is also the problem of the budget cuts: salaries are going to be reduced, some personnel are gonna be fired," she explained.

"What did you tell him?" Gibbs asked, keeping in a corner of his mind the information she had just given him.

"That I didn't change my mind. I sacrificed so much for this job, including you, what we had, and a part of Grace's childhood, I don't want to miss out on more. I loved my job but, as time passed, I felt more and more like it was swallowing me up, making me blind to anything else. I know it's gonna sound crazy but what happened in California was the best thing that could have happened to me. For the first time, in a very long time, I was thinking of something else than my job or the best way to get to it, or to avenge my father. I was free, and yes, it was difficult to live like that, to hide, to watch every word we were saying but when we were together as a family I was enjoying it, really enjoying it. And look at us, we are like hormonal teenagers who can't keep their hands off each other. Do you really think we could have that if we were still working together?" Her rant was worthy of Abby and it took him a moment to fully understand everything she said.

"Wow," he said, making her laugh. "And you're right, it does sound crazy." Her laughter only intensified. "But you're right, we wouldn't act the same if we were still working together, but the fights were fun too," he said, starting to laugh too; he was happy to see her like this. He had missed it.

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><p>What did you think?<p>

Next chapter will take us back to Judgement Day!


	21. Chapter 21: Vision from hell

A/N: You get a treat: another chapter only two days after the last one.

Thanks for reading, alerting, favoriting and a Big hug to left my heart in paris, Miss Jayne, jstapny, JibbsGal1 and Tempe4Booth for their reviews, you rock guys ;-)

Spoiler for 5x14 "Internal Affairs" and season 5 (dreaded) finale "Judgment Day". You may not believe it but the inspiration for this story came from Jenny's call in the flashback!

Have a good reading.

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><p>Chapter 21: Vision from hell<p>

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><p><strong>February 8<strong>**th****, 2011 10 am**

**Congressman Bob Sommers Office, United States Capitol, Washington D.C.**

_Two weeks ago when the FBI had accused Jenny of René Benoit's murder, we had barely enough time to clear the house and leave before the federal agents came to search the place. _

_Luckily, we had anticipated this could happen and had agreed on a course of action: we were to take the first plane out of the country to Europe, join a chalet in Switzerland and wait there for Jenny, never trying to contact her. _

_When Nathan had killed our old enemy, he didn't leave any trace behind. The gun he had used was Jenny's and she had been convincing enough to make everyone believe that she wanted the man dead and had acted alone to get him. The FBI had damning evidence against her, we all knew that and, since her diagnosis, Jenny had stopped caring about it._

_I had observed Jenny and Nathan closely for the past year. I noticed they seemed to have a tacit agreement to never mention what happened at the marina and the consequences it could have for us all. I couldn't get out of my head what Jenny told me that night, as I asked why she was letting Nathan go after Benoit, when a few hours earlier she was still trying to find a way to put him behind bars._

_"We can't keep going on like this. I tried, I did everything I could to arrest him legally but he is protected. We will never get to him like this. It's only going to end up destroying us. I refuse to let him take anything more from us. No matter the consequences, it has to stop. Yes, I would have loved to see him spend the rest of his life in jail but I know it's not going to happen. And unfortunately, this is the only alternative," she had said._

_I had no doubt she knew exactly what it meant for her; the fact that she was ready to face an accusation of murder for us, without blinking, left me breathless._

_In our chalet, in Switzerland, we were waiting for her and, as each hour passed, we were losing hope we would ever see her again. A 29-month-old Grace had been restless, searching, looking everywhere and asking for her mommy; Nathan had spent those days sulking, a guilty expression on his face, wincing every time Grace called for Jenny; my father and I had made a list of the various persons owing us favors that could help us get Jenny out of this mess. _

_When she had finally knocked on the door, the relief filling us had been intense, inexpressible, and, at that moment, we made a silent pact to be those protecting her from now on, not those whom she was protecting._

_For the next two weeks, we tried to convince her to go to the clinic we had selected, where promising clinical trials were underway, but she hadn't wanted to hear any of what we had to say. _

_The day of our return came too fast. We agreed she would leave first and we would follow later. _

_Her plane took off at 12:00 pm from Geneva Cointrin International Airport, arriving at 7:05 pm in Washington Dulles International Airport with a change at 1:10 pm in Paris Charles de Gaulle._

_We were leaving at 3:25 pm to arrive at 7:30 am in Washington with two changes in Paris and New-York._

_So, here we were, back at home. The first thing we noticed was the nice smell of one of Noemi's breakfasts. Probably the only thing we had missed when we were away._

_"I'm so happy to see all of you again, especially you, little Miss," she greeted as she took Grace from her infant seat._

_"We're glad to see you too, Noemi," Abraham said. "Is Jenny already up?" he asked._

_"Yes, of course, her plane was leaving an hour ago," Noemi answered, confused._

_"Her plane? What are you talking about?" Nathan demanded._

_"Her plane for Los Angeles," she explained and continued when we remained confused. "When she got home, she went in her study and, a few minutes later, she got a phone call; a friend of hers, who lived in Los Angeles, died and she wanted to attend the funeral. She said she let you know."_

_"Well, obviously she lied. Why would she have left without telling us?" Abba wondered out loud. "Noemi, did she tell you the name of this friend?" he asked._

_"A William Decker, I think," she answered, uncertainly._

_The look of horror on my father and Nathan's faces probably reflected mine. We knew Jenny's NCIS file by heart: all her operations, missions, everywhere she went, everyone she worked with, put in jail, killed. We always knew this knowledge could come in handy one day, and, apparently, this was the day._

_William Decker was one of the agents working with Jenny in Europe, specifically in Paris, where one of Jenny's assignments had gone wrong. I learnt that particular detail one night, when Jenny had drunk too much and let slip one or two things she would have never admitted to otherwise. I repeated to the others only what could be relevant to our safety, I valued my life too much to even think about revealing the rest._

_"Find us a plane for L.A., Mikhael," my father said. _

_It didn't take long. "We better hurry, the plane takes off at 9:30 am," I announced, after hanging up._

_Leaving Grace and a bewildered Noemi behind, we rushed off to the airport._

_When we arrived a few hours later, at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the ceremony was already over. There was no trace of Jenny._

_"She checked in her hotel but left soon after," I said after ending one of the numerous phone call of the day. I could never thank Bob enough for giving me this job; the number of people owing me a favor was impressive._

_"Can't we trace her phone?" Nathan asked, a slight edge of desperation in his tone._

_"I already tried that, it's off. She is not stupid; she doesn't want to be found. My guy will call me when she turns it on again or if she makes a call," I answered._

_"So what do we do?" Abraham asked. "I have a bad feeling about this." _

_Nathan and I nodded; we felt it too. _

_"We need a just-in-case plan," I said at last._

_Hours later, after searching about every hospital in Los Angeles, we finally got some news._

_"Mojave Desert? Can't you be more precise, we can't exactly search the whole place!" I said at my contact, who, of course, couldn't help me more than he already had. "Thanks anyway."_

_"What would she do in the Mojave Desert?" Nathan asked, in disbelief._

_Shrugging, I turned towards my father, who seemed far away. "Abba? You alright?" _

_"Yes, just thinking about something. Nathan, do you remember when Mikhael told us about this Decker?" Nathan nodded and my father continued. "We checked him out, he bought a place in the Mojave Desert; a diner I think."_

_"Yeah, you're right," Nathan said. "37__th__ Street SW, Mojave California. What?" He asked when he noticed our surprise._

_"Nothing," we both said. "Let's go."_

_The drive seemed endless, the road was identical all along and I was dozing off when my phone went off for the hundredth time of the day._

_"Hello?" I answered, sleepily._

_"Mikhael?"_

_"Jenny? Jenny, where are you?" I was suddenly alert and Nathan, who was driving, slammed the brakes._

_"Look, I don't have much time. Listen to me without interrupting. All of you - take the first plane back to Europe, go where you know and stay there until everything winds down. If I'm lucky, I might be able to join you," she said._

_"Jenny…" I tried but she cut me off before I could continue._

_"No, just do as I say, please. And tell Grace that I love her and I'm sorry," With that she hung up._

_Less than a minute later, I got a text confirming Jenny's location._

_"Get a move on, now!" I told Nathan, who stepped on the gas._

_Hell, yes, that's probably what I imagine hell to look like. The scene in the diner reminded me so much of my sister and her husband's murders that I was frozen for a moment._

_"She is alive!" Abba announced. "We need to act fast."_

"Damian? Damian! Damian Simmons, I'm talking to you!" He felt someone shaking him, bringing him back from the memories of one of the most awful days of his life.

"Sorry Bob, I was far away," Mikhael said, focusing on his boss/friend's face.

"Yeah, I could see that. Is something wrong?" Bob asked, concerned.

"No, not at all, just lost in memories, that's all," the campaign manager reassured his candidate.

"Alright, if you say so," Sommers said, not really convinced but having other things to discuss. "Did you get the chance to look at the latest opinion poll before you got lost in your memories?"

"Yeah, I did, and, despite the FBI investigation and its media coverage, you're still in the lead," Mikhael assured.

"Well, at least one piece of good news in all this mess," Bob said just as the phone was ringing.

"Yes, Laura?" he answered.

_"Sir, an agent Fornell, from the FBI, wishes to talk to you but he doesn't have an appointment…" _the secretary explained.

Bob exchanged a look with Mikhael before cutting his secretary off. "Let him through, Laura, and hold my calls for now," he waited for her agreement before hanging up.

A second later, Tobias Fornell was opening the door and slowly making his way into the office.

"Agent Fornell, I hope you have some good news for us," Bob greeted the man and shook his hand.

"Congressman Sommers," Fornell answered and, glancing at Mikhael, approached him. "Mr. Simmons," he said, shaking Mikhael's hand as well.

"Agent Fornell," Mikhael nodded at him.

Fornell had met every member of the Simmons family, plus Bob Sommers, a few days before, with a representative from the Israeli Embassy, SecNav and the U.S. Attorney General. Israel had confirmed the boys' former 'employment' by Mossad and the family had given some explanations for their sudden disappearance in 1999, why they entered the U.S. in 2006, why they left in 2008 … and, of course, Congressman Sommers' role in all this.

Everyone had carefully avoided to mention the can of worms that was René Benoit's murder, no one was particularly interested in making an arrest anymore.

The interview had been long, painful and tiresome, especially for Jenny, but it had insured them the Department of Justice's full support. Even more so when the Attorney General had wanted to meet M. Allison Hart's client and the lawyer had refused, claiming she had given them all the evidence her client possessed. They had come to the logical conclusion that there was no client; M. Allison Hart had simply used the information gathered by James Drenton before his death.

"I do have some good news. The case has been dropped, the Attorney General convinced Miss Hart that it was in her best interest to end her vendetta since her so-called evidence had no chance in court," Fornell announced and his two interlocutors breathed sighs of relief.

Mikhael immediately opened his phone to call the family.

"However," Fornell wasn't finished. "The Attorney General and SecNav agreed that an explanation to the Congress would be the best thing to do. You all have to come clean, even Jenny; I should say especially Jenny. The faster, the better."

Mikhael and Bob exchanged another look, and the former left the room to place his call.

"Thank you for everything, Agent Fornell. I don't know what would have happened without your help," Bob said, shaking the agent's hand once again.

"You're welcome. I must say I was more than a little surprised that Gibbs agreed to help a politician, no offense," Fornell replied, still amazed at this particular twist.

"None taken. We both know that Agent Gibbs didn't do it for me," the Congressman countered with a knowing look.

"You don't have to answer me but I'm surprised you risked so much for this 'family,' if I can call them that," Fornell started.

"Is there a question in there somewhere?" Bob asked, tensing up slightly.

"Well, I guess I'm just curious about your relationship with Jenny Shepard," Fornell clarified.

Bob sighed. "Jenny and I have known each other for a long time; we met in college, we have been friends ever since. She was there for me when my parents and my sister were killed in a car accident. I was there for her when her father died. When she needs me, all she has to do is call me, the same if I need something. It's as simple as that."

Fornell was certain there was more to it but he wasn't sure he wanted to know that kind of detail about Jenny.

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><p>If you think it's the last you'e seen or heard of M. Allison Heart, you're wrong ;-)<p>

No Jibbs in this one but don't worry the next one will be full of it.

Reviews are my drugs, it's less dangerous for my health :-D


	22. Chapter 22: Media coverage

A/N: I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter but it wraps this arc.

Thanks for reading, alerting, favoriting and virtual roses and chocolates to jstapny, Miss Jayne, Babyshaq99, She-Demon Sparacino, left my heart in paris and JibbsGal1 for their reviews.

Spoilers for 8x17 "One Last Score" and a little for 8x24 "Pyramid".

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><p>Chapter 22: Media coverage<p>

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><p><strong>February 15<strong>**th****, 2011 10:00 am**

**Navy Yard, Washington DC**

Today, every agent's on duty -security guards excepted- and quite a few who were supposed to be off-duty were assembled in MTAC, per Director Vance's demand, to watch a special joint meeting of the United States Congress.

The matter of this session was unknown to most of them but some information had leaked and they knew Congressman Bob Sommers had requested this meeting. The Congressman was a notorious figure around NCIS, his frequent visits during the previous administration had been a subject of interest among the agents; the recent FBI investigation against him and his subsequent visits to the Navy Yard had reinforced that.

So here they were, waiting, curiosity at its highest pitch, none of them expecting what was about to happen.

The meeting started with Representative Sommers' explanations about the FBI investigations; he asserted the accusations of treason were entirely false, the results of a cabal lead by a lawyer starving for media attention since her most known client had been killed. However, he confirmed he had helped a family in entering the country under assumed identities.

"When you see them, I think you will understand better why I did what I did," he said as he nodded towards the doorkeeper to let his guests come in.

A collective gasp, on both sides of the screen, followed the entrance of a redheaded woman and her little troop into the Chamber. Most Senators and Representatives stood up and whispers shot up from everywhere.

Sommers started speaking again, dominating the growing noise.

"For those who do not recognize or know her, I introduce Jennifer Shepard to you, the former NCIS Director, thought to be dead for the past two years. I know many of you are surprised, to say the least, but if Director Shepard let everyone believe she was dead, and stayed in hiding for so long, it was because her life was threatened. This threat has been dealt with recently, allowing her to, finally, come back to her past life. To insure her safety, former Mossad officers took great personal risk. So, with the agreement of both the Israeli Prime Minister and the President of the United States, they were allowed to follow her." He didn't specify that this agreement had taken place two days ago; what the Congress didn't know couldn't hurt them. "She is the foreign criminal this lawyer accused me of helping, so, I have to admit Jennifer Shepard can be scary but I won't go as far as calling her a felon. Or maybe I should," he added as he noticed the glare Jenny was sending his way.

Laughter came from all sides and the tension dissolved.

* * *

><p><strong>February 12<strong>**th****, 2011 1:00 pm**

**Navy Yard, Washington DC**

When Jenny and Team Gibbs, who had accompanied her to the Capitol, got out of the elevator, they were greeted with cheers and applause. The shock nailed them to the spot and tears sprung in Jenny's eyes.

This morning, as she was getting ready to go to the Congressional meeting, she knew she would come for a visit to NCIS. She owed her agents that much, but she hadn't expected such a warm welcome from them.

The warmth of Gibbs' comforting hand, at the small of her back, grounded her and she was able to remember how to breathe.

"That was unexpected. Well, at least now I don't regret having to endure Gibbs' driving from the Capitol to here. I never thought I would say it, but I can tell you it's even worse when he is trying to avoid journalists," she said and, once again, laughter erupted. Gibbs' driving was legendary after all. "It was never my intention to make you believe I was dead, I need you to know that. I didn't wake up one day and decided to disappear. However, I did almost die and wasn't able to make a conscious and wise decision for quite a while. When I realized what had happened, it was clear that I couldn't come back, not until it was deemed safe," she paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "During the next few days, you're going to hear a lot of things but I wanted to tell you I have no intention of coming back to NCIS, for now. I won't lie to you; offers have been made and I refused them. I can't say I won't want come back here at some point. This agency means a lot to me. I devoted a lot of time and energy to it, but for now, my priorities lie elsewhere. If I decide to come back, you will know before the press, that I can assure you. Thank you so much for being here, it means a lot to me," she concluded, and the cheers and applause picked up again.

Some agents went closer to her to congratulate her, let her know they were happy she was well and, after a while, they all went back to work, still a little dazed from what had taken place.

A few tears finally escaped and ran along Jenny's cheeks. Gibbs wiped them and asked her if she was okay, a concerned expression on his face.

"Happy tears, Jethro, only happy tears," she assured him and, with a thorough examination of her right eye to be certain he didn't see any twitch, he accepted her answer and led her upstairs to meet with Vance.

Entering without knocking, Gibbs ignored both Jenny's and Vance's disapproving looks and held the door for her before leaving.

"Jenny," Leon acknowledged her with a nod and stood up.

"Leon," Jenny answered and shook his hand. "Thank you for organizing the broadcast of the Congressional meeting here. I would have wanted the agency to learn about my return another way but this was the best we could do."

"You're welcome but I have the feeling that's not why you're here," he said with a slight frown.

"I just wanted to clarify some things between us. As I'm sure you know, SecNav offered a position back here, which I refused. I'm not after your job, Leon, but I would like you to remember that, before it being your job, it was mine. I have enough respect for you and your work not to take it from you. I hope for the same respect in return," she explained.

"I'm not sure I follow you," Vance retorted.

"Don't play stupid, Leon. You were after my job so much you didn't hesitate one minute to accuse me of murder, don't hide behind the FBI, and, the second my time of death was pronounced, you begged Davenport to give it to you. As I have been stating multiples times since I came back, I may have not been here for a while but I knew what was going on and I may have not been perfect during my time as Director, but I was damn good at my job. I don't appreciate my name being dragged through the mud for faults that weren't mine. I don't like you, Leon. You know that, and it's mutual, but you don't have to like someone to show some respect," Jenny said, harshly.

Vance lowered his head in shame, he hadn't really ever expected having anyone call him out on this, especially not the person most directly concerned. "I heard there is a rule against apologies," he offered.

"Well, there is also a rule that say rules are meant to be broken so …" Jenny countered, a little more nicely.

"I'm sorry, Jenny," Vance said at last.

"Apology accepted, Leon," Jenny said, shaking her head again. After a pause, she spoke again. "I heard Davenport's niece arrived in town."

"News travel awfully fast these days," Leon stated.

"She climbs the ladder awfully fast, not even 24 hours in D.C and she's already pissed Gibbs off," Jenny declared with a smile.

"Does he know who she…" Vance started before Jenny interrupted him.

"No, he doesn't. At least I don't think he does. Gibbs seems to be omniscient sometimes. I won't talk to him about it, it's just that I heard one or two things from my contacts in Europe, I was curious."

"I can't say anything, you know that," Leon answered and Jenny nodded and looked at her watch.

"I will leave you to your paperwork; I'm glad we talked," Jenny said, heading towards the door, which Vance opened for her.

"Me too. I guess we will see each other again. Goodbye Director Shepard," Vance said as goodbye.

"Goodbye, Director Vance," Jenny answered with a smile.

Descending the stairs, she joined Team Gibbs, plus Abby and Ducky, in the bullpen.

"Ready to go?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, all set. I can't thank you enough for helping us move houses, you must have better things to do after the case you worked on. But Abraham was called for an emergency at the hospital and he refuses I carry anything heavy and someone has to stay with Grace…" Jenny was ranting and Ziva interrupted her.

"Jenny, it's okay. We're glad to help you, really, and Leona Phelps made things pretty easy for us, actually," she said.

"Okay, I will pretend I believe you so we can go," Jenny replied, leading them to the elevator. "I was afraid we would be harassed by journalists but it seems Gibbs made quite an impression on them."

"He does have that effect on people," Tony said. "Thank you, Boss," as a slap descended upon his head.

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><p><strong>February, 12<strong>**th**** 2011 10:00 pm**

**35****th**** Street NW, Georgetown, Washington DC**

Jenny and her family had decided to move houses pretty shortly after she had really noticed the neighborhood's attitude towards them.

Strangely, Grace had accepted it a lot better than she had thought, but then the little girl was a lot wiser than she looked and she too had noticed things at the playground.

Their new house was in Georgetown. It was of a light yellow color, with a garden in the front, hiding them from the road and another in the back. Two floors plus an attic gave them plenty of space.

Jenny loved this part of town, but even if it had been possible to go back to her old townhouse, she couldn't have done it. The memories were too much; she wanted a fresh start.

They had spent days packing, sorting things out, making appointments with the bank, insurance companies - always choosing the last time slot for the maximum privacy and making everyone swear to secrecy. They couldn't have the press knowing about her before Congress and they didn't want to allow too much time for the press to find them.

With the team's help, it went pretty fast and they had already unpacked the most necessary things. She had treated them to a feast since it was the only thing Abraham, Ducky and Gibbs, had allowed her to do and most of them had left half an hour ago.

"Are you sure you want to stay? I expect a visit from Grace at some point tonight," she told Gibbs as she offered him a glass of bourbon.

He drew her to him and was about to kiss her when they heard someone pound on the front door.

Pulling his gun out, he was joined by Nathan and Mikhael. Opening the door, he was greeted by flashes and shouts.

"Miss Shepard, Miss Shepard, would you give us an interview? Miss Shepard!"

Gibbs slammed the door shut and the three turned towards Jenny, who burst out laughing at their expressions.

"That's not exactly how I imagined our housewarming," she said.

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><p>So what did you think? :-D<p> 


	23. Chapter 23: Put a ring on it

A/N: I don't own NCIS or its characters, or the song 'Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)' by Beyonce.

I won't ever get tired of saying thanks for reading, alerting, favoriting and a big hug to She-Demon Sparacino, left my heart in paris, hopesmom, Tempe4Booth, Miss Jayne and, of course, JibbsGal1 for their reviews.

Spoilers for 8x19 "Tell All", you don't know how long I have been waiting to write this chapter :-D

Hope you enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 23: Put a ring on it<p>

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><p><strong>March 29<strong>**th****, 2011 9:00 am**

**Navy Yard, Washington DC**

More than a month had passed since the official announcement of Jenny's return, and what a month had it been.

For a very long week, Jenny and Grace hadn't been able to leave the house for journalists were literally camping in front of it; the men of the house had to leave for work using the backdoor. Once, Gibbs had even arrived, after work, to find Nathan loading a shotgun, ready to go out and scare the hell out of the reporters.

It had been the last straw. Gibbs had confiscated the gun and called a friend from Metro P.D. so he could send a patrol. Jenny had decided to declare to the crowd she would give an exclusive interview to a journalist she would choose, and if they weren't satisfied after that and continued to besiege her house, she would ensure that they were out of jobs. Her statement had been convincing enough because the day after none of them came back.

Calling in a personal favor, Jenny had obtained from Larry King and ZNN that he would do the interview. The retired television host had been easily convinced, after all it wasn't every day that you could interview someone coming back from the dead.

The security detail, assigned to their trip to the ZNN studios in Washington a week later, was impressive; Gibbs and Nathan were in charge of its coordination. The two had had some nightmares about it, this assignment was really the definition of a Chinese puzzle.

The interview had went well, but then it had been well prepared and afterwards was widely talked about. Of course, no one was quite satisfied with it, but the reporters had admitted defeat and Jenny and her family had been left alone.

However, this whole ordeal had dampened the family's spirits; the fresh start they had craved so much had been tarnished by some vultures starving for exclusivity.

Gibbs wasn't a cheerful and playful person; that's what he had Jenny for, but he could see how much the past few months' events were taking their toll on her and he was struggling to find something that could give her her beautiful smile back.

Arriving in the bullpen to announce to the team they had a new case, he noticed an envelope sitting on his desk. It was the third time Diane sent him a wedding invitation and he was getting tired of it. He was about to, once again, throw it in the trash but then he realized that it may be the solution to his problem. Jenny and Diane had cordially hated each other a decade ago, mostly because Diane was convinced he was sleeping with Jenny -which wasn't the case, at that time- and didn't hesitate to voice it. This wedding could be the occasion for Jenny and him to even the score. If Diane wanted him to come so much, she was in for a surprise.

Feeling the team's eyes on him, he stifled his smirk and pocketed the invitation.

* * *

><p>Their case had them cross paths with the FBI and none other than Fornell who, of course, mentioned the wedding in front of DiNozzo.<p>

When his friend asked him if he was going, Gibbs remained cryptic. He wasn't sure if he wanted Fornell to know about his project yet.

The night before he had shown Jenny the invitation. The hysterical laughter following its reading had been contagious.

"Who invites their ex-husband to their wedding? It's not like you stayed friends or ever had an amiable relationship to begin with," Jenny had wondered.

However, the remaining giggle quickly ceased when Gibbs announced he wanted to go and bring her along with him.

"Grace could even come with us, we could introduce her to Emily. I'm sure Diane would love it if your daughter and hers became friends," Gibbs was thoroughly enjoying Jenny's shocked expression.

"You want me to impose Diane's presence on my daughter, don't you think she has already been through enough?" Jenny's tone was mocking but he could see a sincere worry in her eyes. He wasn't sure if it was for Grace or for herself.

"I will be there, Diane is not that stupid." This was an answer to whatever she could be worried about and she seemed to be happy with it.

They had spent the evening imagining Diane's possible reactions, and Gibbs was glad to see Jenny smile again.

* * *

><p>The alphabet party their case had turned into took an unexpected twist when they realized the two murders had nothing to do with a black op. Instead it was a classic-not-so-classic crime of passion; a husband finding out that his wife was cheating on him and wanting revenge. The only problem was that he had killed the wrong man.<p>

When Gibbs had talked to the lover, he had realized two things; the first was that, once again, he could relate to a man involved in an investigation - it seemed he was making a habit of it lately; he knew what it was to lose the one you love because she didn't chose you; the second was that he wanted Jenny to be his last woman, now that he had finally found her he didn't want anything to come between them again.

"You knew enough to love her, Lieutenant. That's all that matters," he had told the lover and he sincerely believed it.

He was a private person but this was his last chance, and he had every intention to prove to Jenny he was serious about this. If it meant going public about their relationship, then so be it.

* * *

><p>Gibbs had decided to go alone to the rehearsal dinner, he didn't want to spoil the surprise. He had stuck with Fornell and had endured Diane's parents' disapproving looks. The groom seemed to be a decent guy, and he had to bite his tongue not to warn him off.<p>

Both the FBI and NCIS agents left early and Gibbs asked Fornell to come and get him at Jen's house the next day.

When Fornell arrived, all dressed up, he was wondering what his friend was up to. He saw Gibbs opening the front door and letting Jenny and her daughter come out. Once again, he felt his jaw fall on the floor at the sight. Jenny was wearing a red, knee-length dress, tied up behind her neck; the padded bodice showed off a lot of cleavage. The dress then flowed from the waist to the knees. She had added a silver stole and silver heels. The effect was breathtaking and he quickly suppressed any dazed expression from his face before Gibbs saw and killed him. Little Grace's dress was matching her mom's; the dress's top was red and tight, the bottom was some sort of white petticoat.

As they approached the car, he wanted to ask for some explanations but then thought better of it, especially after he pictured Diane's face.

"So who is the lucky one?" Jenny asked as they climbed in the car.

Gibbs and Fornell exchanged a wry grin before answering, "Homeland Security guy."

"You can't be serious. Does she really want to scour the whole federal alphabet?" Jenny exclaimed.

The ceremony was held in the garden of the groom's estate. Most of the guests were federal agents coming from various agencies, politicians and quite a few lawyers, so Gibbs and Fornell weren't really surprised to see the assembly's reaction to Jenny's arrival.

They didn't dwell on it much since Emily came running to her father the moment they got out of the car. The eleven-year-old flower girl welcomed her 'Uncle Jethro' warmly and eyed Jenny and Grace curiously.

"I saw you on TV," she said. "You were working with Uncle Jethro."

"I was his boss, actually," Jenny answered, smirking at Gibbs' slight growl. "Jenny," she added as she held her hand out, "and here is my daughter Grace."

Emily ignored the proffered hand and hugged Jenny and Grace. "I'm glad you came with Uncle Jethro, he seems to like you very much," Fornell's daughter whispered in her ear and she threw the woman a thousand-watts smile after seeing her surprised expression.

Jenny was a little stunned at Emily's insight and comment but then she, too, could see that Gibbs, even in a tux he normally hated, was far more relaxed than usual and was standing closer to her than he would normally do in public. She gave Emily one of her own bright smiles, which turned into a chuckle when she heard Grace mumble, "Is everyone a hugger in this country?"

"I will show you to your seats," Emily announced, as she took one of her father's hands and one of Jenny's in hers, and walked them through the crowd of guests. Many tried to approach Jenny but she only greeted a few of them.

She raised her eyebrows when she noticed that their seats were in the second row. Diane really wanted Gibbs here, it seemed. As she was about to sit, she felt Gibbs freeze beside her and she followed his gaze. She saw a man that appeared to be the groom talking to a familiar brunette.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Jenny said, "I knew it wasn't a good idea."

Gibbs shouldn't have been surprised to see Margaret Allison Hart at Diane's wedding, after all the two women were lawyers, frequented the same circles, and had a similar personality. They were probably great friends.

"Let's hope she doesn't see us," Gibbs told Jenny as they both sat down, one of his arms around her shoulders and Grace on Jenny's lap.

"Who is she?" the little girl asked as she, too, eyed the brunette lawyer.

"Someone who wanted to get us into trouble not so long ago, honey," Jenny explained, clenching her teeth at the end.

"You mean the attorney who tried to put Bob in prison?" Grace replied.

"Exactly," Jenny answered, still glaring at the woman's back. As if sensing it, M. Allison Hart turned towards them, smiling almost evilly when she spotted them.

"Show time," Jenny said as the lawyer approached them.

"Mister Gibbs," Hart greeted, completely ignoring Jenny. "I wasn't aware you knew Diane; another thing we have in common."

Jenny couldn't help but snort at this but the lawyer was still paying no attention to her.

"No, not really something we have in common, unless you too were married to her," Gibbs countered.

Hart seemed slightly taken aback by that but she recovered quickly. "Oh, so you're one of the exes! Diane had never mentioned your name but I knew she had been married several times. It's a strange coincidence, don't you think?"

"I don't believe in coincidence," Gibbs said in a cold tone. "Now if you will excuse us," he hinted but Hart seemed to have decided to acknowledge Jenny.

"Miss Shepard, or is it Simmons, I'm confused." Jenny didn't think she could ever despise someone so much but it seemed Miss Hart had every intention to prove her wrong.

"Don't you have someone's life to ruin somewhere, Miss Hart?" Jenny asked, her tone as cold as Jethro's.

"I'm taking a break today, but don't worry, I will be back to it tomorrow," Hart replied, tit for tat.

"Of course, you're so good at it. After all, it would be a shame to stop," Jenny said, feigning sincerity.

"Apparently not good enough," Hart countered.

"Fortunately for me," the redhead told the brunette just as the 'Wedding March' began.

The lawyer went to take her seat with one last glare at them.

The ceremony was more simple than Jenny would have expected from Diane, but then it was her third wedding; it was probably losing its charm. She would have to ask Jethro about that.

As they were entering the reception tent, Diane finally noticed them and Jenny quickly sent Grace with Emily, not sure she wanted her daughter to see this.

"What is she doing here?" Diane demanded, as she stood in front of them.

"I invited Jenny," Gibbs answered, accentuating the name. "You wanted me to come, didn't you?"

"If I had known you would bring her along, I would have never invited you," Diane said, angrily.

"Okay, I will let you settle this together," Jenny said, as a headache was slowly creeping its way.

"Not so fast," Diane started but Jenny interrupted her before she could continue.

"Look, you invited Jethro, and he asked me to come along with him. You don't like it, too bad for you, deal with it," and with that she walked away towards Grace.

Gibbs was smirking as he turned back to Diane. "Congratulations, Diane, I hope it will work for you this time," he said, almost sincere -almost being the key word- before joining Jenny, leaving a baffled Diane behind.

"If you tell me it didn't feel good, I don't know you anymore," he whispered in her ear, encircling her waist with his arms from behind.

"It did feel good. She really hasn't changed one bit. I don't know how you could put up with her when you were married, or even how you could put up with her enough to marry her," Jenny was laughing quietly.

"I was young and stupid," Gibbs replied, which only made her laugh even more.

"Keep telling yourself that," she told him.

After they had eaten, the music started and Gibbs scared Jenny when he proposed they join the other couples on the dance floor.

"Who are you and what have you done to Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" she asked, confused.

"I just want you to have a good time, but if you don't want to dance…" Gibbs answered, smiling when he saw Jenny's expression soften.

"No, no, I would be happy to dance with you," Jenny replied quickly, before he changed his mind.

And they danced, for hours, until Jenny couldn't stand on her feet. Her heart literally melted when Grace asked to dance too and Jethro took her in his arms and went swirling with her, alongside Fornell and Emily. She hadn't seen her little girl so happy in a long time; she couldn't thank Jethro enough for inviting them.

As the reception drew to an end, it was time for Diane to throw her bouquet to the unmarried women. Gibbs pushed Jenny slightly so she would join the other women. He didn't know who was the most horrified between Diane and Jenny when the latter caught the former's bouquet.

Coming back to him, Jenny whispered in his ear, "If you ever ask me to marry you, I will kill you slowly and then I will ask Abby to help me hide the body."

And he had no doubt she would.

* * *

><p>I did tell you it wasn't the last we would see of Margaret Allison Hart.<p>

I don't know what Diane does for a living (I don't think it was ever mentioned in the show) so I chose to make a lawyer.

What did you think?


	24. Chapter 24: Tested

A/N: You had forgotten all about this story, didn't you? I hope not :-D

I finally got my mojo back and you get an update, it's a win/win :-D

More than a hundred reviews! You rock, guys. Thanks so much to Jaws0178, JibbsGal1, left my heart in paris, She-Demon Sparacino, jstapny, Miss Jayne, Tempe4Booth for their amazing reviews and of course thanks to anyone who read, alert, favorite :-D

Spoilers for 8x20 "Two-Faced" and a little angst in this chapter!

* * *

><p>Chapter 24: Tested<p>

* * *

><p><strong>April 9, 2011 9:00 pm<strong>

**Navy Yard, Washington DC**

Their presence at the wedding had had three major consequences; two, from Gibbs' point of view, were pretty positive and the last one not so much.

On the bright side, his plan had worked and Jenny was back to her smiling, fun self, which greatly improved the whole household's mood and his own, especially when Jenny _rewarded_ him for inviting Grace and her.

Also, Diane was madder than ever at him, even more so when she discovered her daughter had met Jenny and Grace and was talking about them all the time. Emily had even made her father promise he would bring her to visit her two new friends.

The not so positive consequence had been the media's revival of interest in Jenny. A few days after the wedding, he had found his whole team plus Abby and Palmer, engrossed in a magazine; approaching them, he had seen that what was absorbing them so much was a double page article about the wedding with, in the center, a photo of Jenny and him dancing at the reception. DiNozzo had been the only one brave- or stupid- enough to comment on his dancing abilities and he would remember the headslap for a long time, while Abby had been mesmerized by the way Jenny looked.

Gibbs had been tempted to say that she had looked even better when she had taken off the dress but he didn't want to give Tony's imagination any more reason to run wild. Confiscating the magazine, he had showed it to Jen in the evening and it had been the start of an interesting and unexpected conversation.

"Yeah, my physiotherapist saw it too. She had been wondering about my renewed energy these past few weeks and made me work harder than ever. She teased me about it during our whole session today."

When they had rekindled their relationship, Gibbs had quickly understood that talking about her disease was taboo in the family. It was a subject strictly discussed between Jen and Abraham. The incident with Abby excepted, Gibbs hadn't seen any more flare-ups. Once or twice, in the early weeks, she had had some difficulties getting up and brushing her hair but he had pretended not to notice and had indulged in his passion for her hair by brushing it for her, which had been greatly appreciated. He had asked Ducky for some information, wanting to know what to expect, what he could do to help her without being too conspicuous. He had remembered that, when they were in Europe, Jenny had always been a fan of his massages and he had offered his services, hoping he wasn't too rusty.

He knew she was seeing her physiotherapist regularly but she never shared anything about her sessions, so this remark was not to be taken lightly.

"She is jealous, by the way, and she wants to be introduced," Jenny added as she was tracing lines on his chest, too lost in her own thoughts to notice the quick analysis he was making.

"Really? And what did you tell her?"

"That I wouldn't share you so she'd better have very pure intentions if she ever met you," was Jenny's quick reply, which had made him laugh.

"And if I liked her?" he had asked, his tone so serious she was taken aback. Her deer-in-the headlights expression was so endearing, he couldn't help but drop the seriousness and laugh again.

She hit him hard on the shoulder. "You're so mean to me," she exclaimed.

"Well, you must be a masochist, since you're keeping me around," he countered.

"Maybe I should just let you elope with the physiotherapist, then," she mused and was starting to get up but he made her tumble back onto him.

"Leave the physiotherapist alone. If there was anyone I would elope with, it would be you," Gibbs stated. "What's going on?"

Jenny sighed and situated herself back on her left side, supporting her head with her hand.

"In two days, I'm gonna have some tests done at the hospital. The results will determine if I can stop my meds. It's the third different treatment we're trying, with the two others I relapsed each time we stopped them; this one is by far the most efficient. I would like you to come with me, it's the first time I'm actually confident that I'm gonna hear good news. If you can't, I understand …"

"No, I would love to come with you. I'll be there, just tell me where and when," he answered quickly. He knew how reluctant Jenny was when it came to asking for help, and he wouldn't miss the chance to offer her his support.

* * *

><p>The problem was that he hadn't planned the case that fell into their lap.<p>

Simultaneously, he had discovered the real reason for E.J Barrett's transfer to Washington, the existence of a serial-killer who attacked Navy personnel. He had had confirmation that both Tony and Ziva had thrown Rule 12 away -and not with each other- and now it was coming back to bite them in the ass.

He had been in such a foul mood that when Jenny had called an hour before her appointment to remind him, he hadn't even picked up. They were following a lead, doing a house-search and he had completely ignored her. When he had been in the elevator, later that day, he had given himself a headslap. He had promised her and he had sincerely wanted to be there for her. He couldn't believe he had let this case get to him like that. At the moment he didn't trust his team to stay alone for an hour anymore, especially with Barrett around.

That night as he climbed in his car, he knew he had to go and see her before she decided he wasn't worth the trouble.

Knocking at the door, he waited patiently for someone to answer. After ten long minutes, he was ready to give up but finally the door opened. He almost regretted it when he saw Nathan's face; the man looked about ready to dismember him. Studying him for a while, and probably trying to reign in his anger, Nathan clenched his fists and Gibbs prepared himself for a blow… which never came.

"If it was up to me, you would never set foot in this house again. I think Jenny is far too indulgent with you but it's not my decision. However, do something like this again, and your face will be acquainted with my fist for real this time," Nathan announced. Gibbs realized he couldn't really blame him. If he had been in his stead, he wouldn't have been so nice. He was glad they were all watching out for Jenny, even if sometimes it was oppressive.

Nodding sharply, he entered the house and climbed up the stairs. He found Jenny in Grace's room. He had become familiar with their nightly ritual but it was still leaving him spellbound. He was literally hypnotized by the way Jenny was brushing her goddaughter's hair. He knew even Grace had felt something was wrong when she didn't come to kiss him goodnight as she noticed him leaning against the threshold.

Jenny took her time to leave Grace's room and when she finally did, she didn't acknowledge him, which told him two things: she was extremely disappointed in him and she had decided to give him the silent treatment. He hated the silent treatment. If he had to choose, he would rather her yell.

Still ignoring him, Jenny was preparing for the night and was about to enter her en-suite when he grabbed her waist.

"If I have a rule against apologies, it's because they are just words that, most of the time, someone says without thinking about them and without meaning them. I am a man of action, not of words, you know it." Jenny snorted at that, which he took as a sign that she was paying attention and continued.

"Today, I shouldn't have ignored your call, I should have told you I couldn't come but I couldn't say the words. Like me, you don't like to reach out to others for help, so I know how much it must have cost you to ask me to accompany you and I disappointed you."

"I never asked anything from you since we got back together. All I wanted was to share this with you, all I asked for was a few hours of your time and you couldn't give me that. I know how you get when you're working on a case. I accept that, but you can't seriously tell me you couldn't have left your team on their own for a while. They're not kids you can't take your eyes off for a minute without them breaking something! They're trained NCIS Special Agents who know their job," Jenny exclaimed, angrily.

"I know, I know. I won't give you excuses. I screwed up, and I would understand it if you wanted to throw me out," Gibbs answered.

"Don't say stupid things like that," Jenny replied. "I'm disappointed right now but it's not like you have always been perfect. And don't deny it," she added as Gibbs looked outraged. "Look, if you can't keep a promise, just tell me, explain. I can understand. Don't ignore me, you know what it's like. We have come this far, it was important to me but I won't throw everything away because of it," she said and he nodded.

"Nathan was right, you're far too indulgent with me," Gibbs said.

"Well, you should be glad I'm a masochist," Jenny sighed.

"It wouldn't be pretty otherwise," Gibbs said, nodding wisely and Jenny headslapped him.

"So you will remember to never do that again," she said.

"So, what did they tell you at the hospital?" Gibbs asked, innocently.

Jenny laughed. "I don't think you earned the right to know that yet," she replied and then whispered wickedly in his ear. "Try to earn it."

* * *

><p>AN: So what did you think? You know I love to ear your thoughts.

Marie


	25. Chapter 25: The Talk

A/N: It took me a while to make it work and it isn't exactly what I had planned but I hope you enjoy it.

I will never say it enough, thanks to all who read, alert, favorite this story and THANK YOU so much to She-Demon Sparacino, JibbsGal1, left my heart in paris, Tempe4Booth and Miss Jayne for their amazing reviews.

Slight spoilers for the end of 7x20 "Two-Faced" and 7x21 "Dead Reflection"

For Grace's conversation with Gibbs, you can imagine Zachary from 3x07 "Honor Code" or James Lucas Scott from One Tree Hill.

So here it is :-D

* * *

><p>Chapter 25: The Talk<p>

* * *

><p><em>Jenny laughed. "I don't think you earned the right to know that yet," she replied and then whispered wickedly in his ear. "Try to earn it."<em>

Jenny was playful when she said it but Gibbs didn't want playful. He wanted to prove to her that her trust was important to him and that it was what he really wanted to earn. He gave her free reign over him, letting her do whatever she wanted to him.

She was so surprised and moved that tears fell before she could stop them. It was the last thing he expected and he was afraid he had finally blown it but, after a moment, she smiled through her tears.

"You should give me a signal, when you're about to do something like that," she said as he wiped her tears. She clarified when he looked at her questioningly. "Something sweet and tender."

"I feel like a caveman when I hear you say that," Gibbs grumbled.

Jenny laughed. "Well, you kind of are."

Gibbs glared at her.

"For God's sake, Jethro, for years you were spending nights on your own, building boats in your basement, sleeping underneath them, while downing gallons of bourbon. Most of the time, you grunt more than you talk. If that doesn't sound like a caveman, I don't know what does," Jenny said, still shaking with laughter.

"Well, you should have told me that before and save me the trouble," Gibbs replied, feigning hurt and shock but really enjoying her laugh and the easy banter.

"No, no, no, I don't want you to ever feel like you shouldn't be sweet if you feel like it. I'm sorry, you're a caveman but you're my caveman," she said, seeing right through his act.

She seized his face in her hands and fixed her gaze to his. "I trust you, more than anyone in the world, I trust you. For a long time, my life depended on that trust and you never let me down. No matter what people may think, you're human - you make mistakes, you screw up sometimes. Yesterday, you did screw up and it hurt me, but that doesn't change how I feel. That doesn't change the fact that I trust you with my life, with my heart, with everything I have, including Grace."

He was stunned by her speech. Since they had been reunited, they had avoided every kind of declaration about their feelings. They had preferred showing them instead of talking about them. Words were dangerous, words could be twisted, words could lie, actions rarely did; that was a sort of motto for him and, until now, it had worked for them.

However, this declaration didn't feel wrong. It felt like the pure truth coming from a woman he loved more and more every day, if that was possible. He hadn't said those three little words to her yet. Sometimes he still felt like he was living in another world but tonight it was different. Tonight he wanted to say those words. Not because he had screwed up and was trying to redeem himself but because he sincerely wanted her to know. Remembering she had asked for a signal, he said, "Don't faint but I have something to tell you."

She watched him expectantly and he took a deep breath.

"I love you. With all I have, with all I am, no matter if I seem to be a bastard at times. I love you, and you can't know how relieved and happy I am since I got you back." When the tears started flowing again, he added, "I warned you this time."

Jenny laughed. "I think I'm gonna need a while to get used to it. You, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, are the most incredible man I have ever known and I wouldn't want you any other way, even the bastard part of you."

Those admissions added a new dimension to their lovemaking that night, an intensity that could have been overwhelming to anyone else but was what really defined Jenny Shepard and Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

For once it wasn't Jethro who woke up first and watched his lover sleep. Instead, he was awakened by the feel of a slow caress on his back. Blinking a little to get rid of the sleepiness, he looked at Jenny who was on her side, supporting her head with one bent arm and seeming to be captivated by the muscles of his back.

"My blood work, the tests they did, everything says that the treatment worked. It doesn't mean I'm cured; there is always the risk of a relapse and I will have to continue the physiotherapy, but I'm as alright as I can be, given my condition," she said, not sugar-coating it and he, internally, sighed in relief.

In a move that surprised her, he rolled on his back and hugged her against him, pressing his face against her hair and breathing in deeply.

"I was scared," he admitted and finally, saying it out loud made him realize just how much he had been lying to himself. "I was scared but I didn't want to face it. If I had been there with you and they had given you bad news, I don't know what I would have done. I lost Shannon and Kelly. I wasn't there and I couldn't stop it. The same happened with you in L.A. This disease is not a bad guy you can stop by arresting it or putting a bullet through its head. No one has any control over it and, because of it, you could be taken away from me again. I couldn't face it and I couldn't tell you that either. Believe me, it's not something I'm proud of." It felt strange to say so many words, so fast, so early and without any coffee in his system, but if the sensation of a weight being lifted from his shoulder was anything to go by, it also felt damn good.

Jenny stayed silent for a while and slowly raised her head to look at him. There were no tears this time but she was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.

"Wow, you don't say much but when you do… I'm not going anywhere, Jethro, and there is nothing to be ashamed of. I was scared too. It was easier when I didn't want to fight."

They fell silent after that, glad to just enjoy the other's presence. And, as always, Gibbs' ringing phone disrupted their plan.

"A case?" Jenny inquired, looking defeated, after Gibbs hung up.

He shook his head. "Just DiNozzo telling me he found an eyeball in his drink when he and Ziva went at a bar last night."

Jenny raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Oh, if it's just that," she said and he grinned, shaking his head again. "Something to do with your serial-killer case?" she asked.

"Think so, but it's not urgent. It's not our case anyway," he said, slightly bitter.

"Breakfast?" Jenny proposed, ignoring his remark, knowing there was nothing she could do anyway.

They were the last ones to join the breakfast table and they both could feel the tension radiating from the others, even from Grace. Jenny tried to strike up a conversation and encountered mild success. When she went to answer the phone, the others seemed to close in on Jethro. He tried to ignore them but the staring was unnerving. After a moment, the three men got up and left, glaring at him one last time.

Gibbs was left face-to-face with Grace. He didn't dare tell her that her serious expression had less effect when she had a chocolate mustache.

"We are a family, you know. We don't let people in easily. We let you because we thought you could be good for my mom. Yesterday we got angry, really angry. I guess what you told mom was enough to convince her but it will never be enough to convince my grandfather and my uncles," Grace started, looking him straight in the eyes and he was really impressed with the girl. "I like you, I think you're a good guy but we let you in and we still don't know anything about you. They read every file they could find on you, they talked to a lot of people but that doesn't tell us who you really are. I guess you could say the same thing about Abba, Mikhael and Nathan but you're the intruder here," she said, the last part with an apologetic smile, probably to soften the blow.

Jenny came back in the room before Gibbs could reply and neither of them mentioned the conversation that had just taken place.

* * *

><p><strong>April 16, 2011 11:00 am<strong>

**Jackson Gibbs' store, Stillwater, Pennsylvania**

All week, Grace's words had replayed in his head and, after they had finally solved their case, he had decided he deserved a break, even if it was just a weekend away.

Friday night, he went to Jen's place and told her to pack a bag for her and Grace so they could get away for the weekend. He dodged the two girls' questions, not wanting to spoil the surprise, and had to face the men's inquiry about security measures. He wasn't really sure how he convinced the boys to let them leave but Nathan's menacing expression told him that if anything happened he wouldn't live much longer.

They hit the road on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. Grace was back in the arms of Morpheus in less than half an hour, and Jenny followed an hour later when she got tired of getting no answers at her questions about their destination.

Gibbs had called his father to tell him he was coming but he didn't say he wouldn't be alone. So when he parked in front of the store, Jackson Gibbs was more than a little surprised to see two redheads in his son's car.

Jenny woke up when the car stopped moving, and she turned to look at Gibbs.

"We're in Stillwater, Pennsylvania," he announced, and she seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"It's your hometown," she said as it dawned on her.

"Yep and I'm sure you really want to meet that man over there," he replied, pointing towards Jack, who was observing them.

"Does Leroy Jethro Gibbs really have a father?" Jenny asked, amazed as she looked at the older man, noting the similarities.

"Where did you think I came from?"

"I thought you had been raised by wolves," Jenny grinned at him.

"Like Mowgli," Grace interjected, having woken up too.

Jenny laughed. "Yeah, like Mowgli."

"Well, when you two are done making fun of me, maybe we will be able to get out of the car," Gibbs said, looking annoyed but hiding a smile.

"Oh, are you pouting?" Jenny asked him, not fooled.

"Come on," he said and he opened the doors for them. He approached his father and hugged him.

"Leroy, who are those two beauties and where have you been hiding them?" Jack asked as he let go of his son.

"Dad, here is Jenny Shepard and her daughter Grace. Jen, Gracie, Jackson Gibbs, my father."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gibbs," Jenny said as she shook his hand.

"Don't call me Mister, it makes me feel old. Call me Jack and the pleasure is all mine. I'm always happy to meet beautiful women like you," Jack replied as he kissed her hand.

Gibbs rolled his eyes at his father as Jenny blushed slightly.

"Then call me Jenny."

As the girls were setting up in Jethro's old room and in the guest room, Jack was talking to his son.

"She is not yours. Grace, I mean, she is not yours, is she?"

"No, Dad, she's not mine and she's not exactly Jen's either. It's a long, complicated and painful story," Gibbs answered.

"Well, you can give me a résumé. It's strange, I feel like I have seen Jenny before," Jack mused.

"You probably did; lately her face has been plastered in every media there is in this country."

"Yeah, I remember now. The Director of a federal agency who came back from the dead after almost three years. Wasn't it your agency by the way?"

"Yes, it was. She was the first woman at the head of an armed federal agency, one of the youngest too," there was a hint of pride as he said it and Jackson noticed it.

"You knew her before she became your boss, didn't you?"

"We were partners. Actually, I was her boss before she was mine."

"That's a pretty interesting story."

Gibbs Junior smiled at that. "Oh, yeah, it is."

"So you two worked together."

Jethro nodded. "One of the best partners I ever had."

"In every sense of the word, I presume."

The special agent smirked. "Yeah, we can say that."

"What happened?"

Jethro tensed a little at that. "Let's just say that I wasn't exactly part of her plan. She left me when we were supposed to come back to the States. Came back six years later as my boss. It wasn't easy at first and we both said and did things we shouldn't have. Almost three years ago, an old op came back to bite us in the ass and I thought she had been killed. In January, I learned she had survived and was living in Arlington. We've been rekindling our relationship ever since."

"She must be pretty important to you if you gave her a second chance after all that," Jack remarked as he saw the way his son's eyes lit up as he talked about Jen.

"You have no idea."

* * *

><p>AN: I'm stopping here because I think a trip to Stillwater deserves its own chapter.

So what did you think? I love to hear your thoughts.

"You're the most incredible man I have ever know." Bonus point to those who tell me what show I shamelessly stole this line from :-D


	26. Chapter 26: Trip Down Memory Lane

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all the victims of 9/11 and of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, to their families and friends.

* * *

><p>Chapter 26: Trip Down Memory Lane<p>

* * *

><p><strong>April 16, 2011 12:00 pm<strong>

**Jackson Gibbs' residence, Stillwater, Pennsylvania**

_"She must be pretty important to you if you gave her a second chance after all that," Jack remarked as he saw the way his son's eyes lit up as he talked about Jen._

_"You have no idea."_

"I'm glad for you, son. You deserve some happiness."

Gibbs nodded at his father, a smile on his lips as he thought about the past few months with Jen.

"And the girl?" Jack asked, after a moment, watching his son's fond expression.

"Grace is Jenny's goddaughter. Her parents died when she was a baby. Jenny's been taking care of her ever since." Gibbs conveniently left out Abraham, Mikhael and Nathan; he didn't really want to go there.

Jackson cringed at what his son told him. "Poor kid, that's awful."

"It is, but she is a great kid. Very smart, a lot of character, a hell of a temper like her mom. She's been through so much in such a short time, but you can already say she is a fighter. Very protective of her mom too. I wasn't her favorite person at first," Jethro explained, smirking.

Jack laughed. "I'm loving her already," he said just as the two girls were heading towards them. "You should give them a tour of Stillwater after lunch, Leroy. There is not much to see but it's a nice little town."

"That's a great idea, Jack. I really need to stretch my legs," Jenny said, as she and Grace sat at the dining table.

"You're okay?" Gibbs asked, a flash of concern in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a long trip," Jenny reassured him.

Gibbs Senior watched this with interest, feeling he was missing something.

"So, you're really Gibbs' father?" Grace asked him, pulling him away from his contemplation of his son and Jenny. "It's really bizarre. I couldn't imagine him having parents. His team seems to believe he is some kind of superhero but the lack of manners had made me think he had been raised by wolves."

Jackson burst out laughing as his son scowled.

"From what I saw, he didn't get the lack of manners from you, Jack," Jenny said and giggled when Jethro glared at her. "Oh, Jethro, you know that never worked with me."

"I really like them," Senior told Junior as his laughter subdued.

After lunch, Jethro, Jenny and Grace accompanied Jackson back to his store and then went for a tour.

It took less than two minutes for the girls to notice and head towards 'Ellen's dress' - the town's one and only clothes' store.

Jethro let them go inside as his mind flashed back to the times he had seen Shannon working in this very boutique. For the first time, the memories weren't overwhelming. He smiled as he imagined Shannon helping Jenny and Grace pick clothes and he entered the boutique.

"Leroy, is that you?" he heard someone calling him and turned towards the source.

"Mrs. Hannigan," Gibbs greeted the old lady. He had mixed feeling about her; he knew she had helped Jack a lot but he had never really appreciated her going after his father since his mother died.

"Your father told me you were coming to visit him. I'm glad; we don't see enough of you around here."

Before Gibbs got a chance to reply, he saw Grace running towards him.

"Gibbs, Gibbs! Mommy and I found identical summer dresses. They're pretty, aren't they?" she said as she twirled to show him the light green bohemian summer dress.

Gibbs raised his head and looked at Jenny, who was joining them. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her dressed like that but he liked it - a lot.

"Yeah, very pretty," he said and the two girls beamed at him before looking curiously at the older woman he had been talking to.

"Mrs. Hannigan, here are Jenny and Grace. Mrs. Hannigan is a friend of my dad, best baker in Stillwater." He didn't give any more information about who Jenny and Grace really were; it had been complicated enough to explain it to his father. Betty Hannigan could think whatever she wanted to.

"Oh, you're exaggerating, Leroy," she replied, blushing slightly. "Pleasure to meet you. It's always good to see new faces in Stillwater and especially Leroy's friends," the older woman greeted, smiling nicely and Jenny and Grace returned it.

"You know Jethro well?" Jenny asked her, smirking slightly as she felt Gibbs tense beside her.

"Oh yeah, a real troublemaker he was. Involved in more than one fistfight," Betty said, grinning at Gibbs.

"Really? It doesn't really surprise me," Jenny said, enjoying this way too much.

"So that's why you don't like people calling you Leroy. It reminds you of your hometown," Jenny said as they left the boutique, holding their purchases and Jethro nodded.

"Are you okay, Gibbs?" Grace asked him as he looked one last time at the store's window.

He turned back towards them and saw they wore the identical slightly worried expression.

"I'm fine, now I'm fine," he told them but they didn't seem to buy it. "Shannon was working here when we were in high school; one of the first times I really saw her I was standing right here."

Jenny drew in a shaky breath at the unexpected confession and looked at him uncertainly. Jethro looped an arm around her waist and smiled at her.

"You being here helps more than you will ever know," he said and she searched his face a little before nodding at him and putting her head on his shoulder. Grace grabbed his free hand and joined the group hug.

Gibbs then brought them to Stillwater High School and told them some of his best memories. There wasn't much but it was important for him to share them with Jenny and Grace.

They finally walked slowly back to Jackson's store and when they entered it, they found Chuck Winslow, his daughter Emily and his grandson Chris, at the counter talking to Jack.

"Ah, here he is. Leroy, I was just telling Chuck that you were visiting."

Gibbs and Winslow sized each other up before shaking hands, not exchanging a word. The NCIS Special Agent greeted Emily and her son more warmly and introduced them to Jen and Grace.

"Emily and Chris came for the weekend. They live in Philadelphia now, right?" Jackson said, turning towards Emily for confirmation.

She nodded. "Yes, it's been a little difficult at first but I really like the city and Chris has plenty of friends at his new school."

They talked for a moment and Gibbs was really amused as he watched 7-year-old Chris fascinated by Grace.

"Is she flirting?" he murmured in Jenny's ear.

"I think so. What?" she asked as Gibbs smirked.

"Nothing, just - like mother, like daughter," he replied.

"I don't flirt with seven year olds," Jenny countered playfully.

"I hope not," Gibbs said, horrified at the thought and Jenny laughed at his expression before becoming serious again.

"What's your story with him?" she whispered, nodding towards Chuck.

Gibbs sighed. "Let's just say we weren't best buddies."

"Is he one of those you got in a fistfight with?"

Once more, Gibbs marveled at Jenny's ability to read him and he nodded simply. "He and Ed, who is the sheriff now. Two against one, they never really played fair."

Jenny observed him. "I really can't imagine anyone being stupid enough to attack you like that."

"I wasn't the same at the time," he answered somberly.

"You mean I wouldn't have liked Leroy?" she teased him and he smirked.

"My dad would have never let me approach a girl like you."

"I don't think my dad would have appreciated it either," she grinned. "He probably wouldn't have liked Leroy but I'm sure he would have loved Jethro."

He was a little stunned at the confession but he kept forgetting Jenny had always been able to surprise him. He squeezed her against him lightly and pressed his lips against her forehead.

When the Winslow/Kingston clan finally decided to leave, Gibbs accompanied them outside.

"You got a lovely family here, Leroy," Chuck said and he seemed sincere. "Look, Leroy, I know we have had our disagreements." Gibbs almost snorted at that but he managed not to and kept listening. "But we were kids; young, foolish kids and we went too far. At that age, everyone think they're invincible…"

"It never stopped for you, Chuck. Even now, you still think you're invincible, just because you're the head honcho of a mining company and you're best buddies with the sheriff so everyone around here respects you," Gibbs interrupted him. "Where I live, they are a dime a dozen - rich businessmen like you - and they know that everything can disappear in a snap, no matter how hard they worked for it. Here, you're the big Boss; in D.C, you would be just another one of them. Even your daughter understood it. You have no idea what the real world is about and you're lucky you don't, because I don't think you would have been able to stand what I saw." He didn't wait for Chuck Winslow to reply and he went back inside.

* * *

><p>That night, as Jenny was sleeping, he stood at the window in his old room and thought back to what his life was when he lived here. At some point, he felt Jenny's soft arms encircle his waist from behind.<p>

"I'm glad you shared all of this with us, it means a lot to Grace and I," she said, her voice still laced with sleep.

"You knew about her little speech?" Gibbs asked her, turning around in her arms.

"I knew that she felt like confidences were one-sided and it would either be her or the boys who would confront you about this. They don't know you like I do; I knew you would talk to us when you were ready for it. I know how much your memories with Shannon and Kelly mean to you and how difficult it still is to talk about them."

"I don't have memories of Kelly here. I left Stillwater in 1976 and went back for the first time two years ago. Shannon brought Kelly here when I was overseas but I never went back with them, when they were alive," he whispered, forcing the words out.

"Do you regret it?" Jenny asked him.

"I don't know. It's already difficult to be here with just the memories of Shannon; I'm not sure I would be able to handle it the same way if I remembered Kelly here too," he answered, almost afraid to look at Jenny. It felt almost unreal to talk about his deceased family with his new one. He had never been able to with his ex-wives and he knew it had taken Jenny a while to accept the fact that he probably would never be able to let go of Shannon and Kelly but that he still had a place for her and Grace.

"Well now, when it becomes too much, you can think about Grace and I here," Jenny said, pinning him under her gaze to ensure that he knew she was okay with the way he felt.

They spent the next day in the store where Jackson taught Grace how to run the store.

"I'm telling you, I'm leaving the store to Grace in my will. In no time, she will be better at this than I am," Jackson stated proudly.

As Jack worked on dinner, Jenny entered the kitchen.

"It must be a little strange to see your son turning up with a woman and a child in tow that you never heard about," Jenny said, leaning against the counter, trying to stay out of Jack's way.

"For a long time, my boy and I weren't talking. What I knew about him, I read it in the papers. I kept all the articles in a box. I'm sure there are a few things about you too," he said, sending her a slight smile.

"Probably," Jenny agreed, returning the smile. "I'm glad things are better between you and Jethro. My own father meant so much to me; when he died, it brought me to dark places. I don't wish it on anyone and I know Jethro lost his mother when he was young."

Jack nodded. "It wasn't easy. His mother's death changed him."

"It's understandable. I just want you to know that I'm aware of what your son went through. I know him, his qualities, his faults, his demons. I have my own and Jethro understands them. It took us time to come to our senses but I have no intention of leaving him or letting him go anytime soon," Jenny stated and Jackson looked at her intently.

"My boy is a very lucky man. I see the way you two look at each other, the way you feel the other's presence in a room. Those kind of connections are rare. I haven't seen my son so happy since …" Jackson hesitated slightly.

"Since Shannon?" Jenny completed for him and Jack nodded. "It's the best complement you could have made, Jack."

As they got ready to leave, Jackson asked his son the billion-dollar question. "Are you going to marry this one, Leroy?"

Gibbs was speechless for a moment and then he smirked. "I'm working on it, Dad."

"Will I be invited, if she is crazy enough to accept your proposal?" Jack was trying to stay lighthearted but Jethro saw right through it and he felt a slight pang of guilt.

"Of course, Dad. I wouldn't have brought them here if I wanted to cut every contact once we left."

"Don't screw this up, Leroy. This woman and her little girl are keepers," Jackson warned his son and Gibbs smiled at how fast Jenny and Grace has won his dad over.

"I know, Dad, I know."

Gibbs had decided to show the girls one last place as they left. Stopping at the grade crossing, he showed them the train station.

"I knew that when I would take this train, it would be a turning point in my life but I hadn't known how right I was. I had just enlisted, it was the first time I was wearing my uniform and I sat on a bench, waiting for the train. Shannon was there and it was the first time we talked to each other. She had a rule that you should remember all your life, Grace," he said.

"What is it?" Grace asked.

"'Never date a lumberjack;' she was working on having a rule for everything but don't tell that to DiNozzo," he answered.

"We wouldn't dare," Jenny said, taking his hand in hers, as they left Stillwater.

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks to everyone who read, alert, favorite this story and a special thanks to JibbsGal1, She-Demon Sparacino, jstapny, left my heart in paris, tataalicat (bonus point for the right guess), Tempe4Booth and Miss Jayne for their amazing reviews :-D.


	27. Chapter 27: Wounded Warrior

A/N: So, I've been absent for so long you have probably forgotten this story. RL has been so busy recently I didn't realise two whole months had passed since my last update of Implicit rule. I really feel bad.

Also, this story is coming to an end, one more chapter plus an epilogue and it will be it. I hope you enjoy the end of the ride.

Slightly shorter chapter but the final two will be longer, I promise.

Thanks to all those who read, alert and favorite this story and a huge thanks to JibbsGal1 for the review and help, left my heart in paris, Miss Jayne and NCIS She-Demon, you guys are really amazing.

Two of your favorites characters are coming back in this chapter ;-D Spoilers for 8x23 Swan Song.

* * *

><p>Chapter 27: Wounded Warrior<p>

* * *

><p><strong>May 17, 2011 1:00 am<strong>

**Bethesda Naval Hospital, Maryland**

As he slowly regained consciousness, Mike Franks became gradually aware of the annoying beeping sounds, characteristic of medical equipment, of the intense lights that made him squeeze his eyes shut tightly, and of the sensation of not feeling anything that told him he was on morphine.

He waited until he had gotten used to the lights before opening his eyes. Looking around him, he almost startled at the sight of a redheaded woman, sitting beside his bed, reading a book. It didn't take him long to recognize her and, when he did, he swore he would kill Gibbs the moment he could get out of this bed.

"I must be in hell. Probie better hope I am, because if not, I owe him a hell of a headslap," he said in a very raspy voice, making the redhead raise her head towards him and smile.

"What makes you think I would end up in hell with you?" Jenny replied, standing up and approaching him to give him ice chips, giving Franks a good look at the little girl who was lying asleep on another chair.

"How long was I out exactly?" he asked as he stared at the girl.

Jenny turned to follow his gaze and smiled again as she realized what he was thinking. For a few seconds, she entertained the idea of messing with him but she really didn't want to put up with his bad mood, especially since she was supposed to be stuck with him for a while. "Only a few days. You really scared us. We weren't sure you were going to make it," she told him and she saw him narrow his eyes at her to gauge her sincerity.

"That was kind of the point. Am I hallucinating because of all the morphine or are you going to explain to me how the hell you ended up here in one piece?" Mike growled and Jenny rolled her eyes at him; she had almost forgotten Mike Franks' unique brand of charm.

"It's a long story.." she said.

"I've got a lot of spare time on my hands," Franks cut her off curtly.

" … and I think we should let the doctor and the nurses know that you're awake before starting it," Jenny finished, giving him a pointed look and pretending she hadn't heard him.

Franks just growled again and crossed his arms over his chest, looking like a petulant child. Jenny just shook her head at him and left to fetch the doctor.

After he was checked over, Franks did, what was known around NCIS as, the 'Silent-Gibbs-trying-to break-a-suspect-in-interrogation' trick, which wasn't really effective on Jenny since she had seen it so many times during the decade they worked together. The only effect it had was to almost make her choke because she was trying so hard to stifle her laughter as to not wake Grace.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to tell you. No need to get your panties in a bunch," she managed to articulate as she was trying to regulate her breathing.

For nearly two hours, Jenny recounted the events of the past five years, glaring viciously at Mike each time he tried to interrupt her. When she finished, after talking about the trip to Stillwater, Mike looked dumbfounded.

"And in all this time, none of you thought about giving me a damn call? I don't ask much, just, you know, something like 'Hey, Mike, you remember the redhead you spent a day in the desert with, trying to protect her from some Russian assassin? The one you thought was dead? Well, actually, she was never dead, she is fine and back in D.C, having her happily ever after with Gibbs.'" Franks seemed a little out of breath after that, and Jenny looked a little stunned.

"Wow, it almost sounds like you care about me," Jenny teased and she wasn't expecting Franks' answer at all.

"Look, Red, I've known Jethro a long time. I care about him. He was a mess after his wife and little girl died, and sometimes, when he left Headquarters in the evening, I wasn't sure I would see him again the next day. Did he tell you that when he was in your study with this crazy Russian chick he didn't have his weapon? He had put it on the desk, just out of reach. He wouldn't have been able to use it. He wanted her to kill him, I'm sure of it, no matter how much he will deny it, he wanted to die. If I hadn't arrived at that moment and finished her off, Gibbs wouldn't be there anymore. So, when I see you all smile and laugh, teasing me, it really makes me angry because this man loves you and he would do anything for you and you let him believe you were dead," he couldn't go on because of a coughing fit but he had made his point.

Jenny was looking at the former agent with wide eyes filled with unshed tears. "I didn't know about that," she murmured once he had stopped coughing.

"Would it have changed anything if you had?" he asked harshly.

"Probably not. Unfortunately, this mess was about much more than Jethro and me," Jenny replied quietly, not letting the man's anger get to her.

"You really do speak like a true politician, it's scary," Franks told her, frowning.

"Old habits die hard," she quoted with a slight smile to which Mike responded slowly.

"Probie did talk a lot about you when he stayed with me in Mexico. Couldn't understand why, but I think I'm starting to. I hope you'll stick around."

"I have every intention to, Mike," Jenny whispered, her voice tight with emotion and Franks nodded before clearing his throat, always feeling uncomfortable with emotional displays of any kind.

"You never told me why you ended up with the babysitting duty. I would have thought the two gorillas at the door would have been enough."

The 180 degrees' turn of the conversation almost made Jenny's head spin, and she was speechless for a few seconds before she got her bearings back.

"Well, the gorillas aren't just for you; we had a little incident before you arrived from Mexico."

"Incident with whom?"

* * *

><p><em>Jenny knew something was wrong the moment she set foot out of the house and started heading towards the park with Grace. They walked much more quickly than they usually did, and Jenny sent a text to Mikhael, who was having lunch with a journalist in restaurant just two streets away.<em>

_When they finally arrived in the park, Jenny thought for a moment that she had been overreacting and she almost sent another text to Mikhael to cancel the first one. However, it was at that point that she started to feel observed. She looked around her casually but couldn't identify the source of her uneasiness._

_For about ten minutes, nothing happened but she knew the person watching her was still there. Then, someone sat beside her and she tensed up the second he opened his mouth._

_"Bonjour, chérie," the man said, his British accent as recognizable as ever._

_She didn't acknowledge him at all, not wanting to give him the pleasure of a witty retort. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him._

_"The silent treatment? I don't see what I did to deserve it. You would be in jail without my intervention. Of course it was your dear Gibbs who asked for my help but still."_

_Jenny stayed silent once more, praying that Mikhael was on his way._

_"I must say I was more than a little surprised to learn you were still alive. I really thought the Russians had succeeded where we had all failed, but you're not that easy to get rid of, are you? I would be very disappointed if you were."_

_Jenny's fists were clenched in her pockets but she kept her eyes on Grace, not responding to Kort in any way._

_"Impressive self-control," Kort smirked as he turned his attention towards Grace. "That's a beautiful little girl you have, really beautiful. Do you think she will follow in your footsteps later or will she be wiser and stay away from the grown-ups' business? It would be so sad that such a young girl was threatened in any way because she wanted to do the same thing as her mommy," Kort commented mockingly._

_This time, Jenny couldn't ignore that, before she could think twice about what she was doing or what people around them could see, one of her hands was on Kort's chin, her nails scratching the skin, bringing his face closer to hers. _

_"That's a very bad idea to threaten a little girl in front of her mother, very unwise of you. I can tell you that if you ever approach my daughter, the loss of your eye will seem like a walk in the park. You have no idea what I'm capable of, but make one more threat and you will discover it. Since I came back from the dead, I have a lot of friends, you, on the other hand, don't have many left. I can make your life very difficult so I highly advise you to be more careful. Now, get out of my sight," Jenny hissed and she could see, out of the corner of her eyes, Mikhael approaching them quickly._

_Kort waited a second too long and it gave enough time to Mikhael to grab him and take him away to have a little talk._

_Jenny beckoned Grace and called Gibbs._

* * *

><p>"Well, remind me to never piss you off," Mike said as Jenny concluded.<p>

"Didn't you know that already?"

"Well, it's true that you killing three trained men and still surviving should have given me a clue," he answered, slightly impressed.

Jenny shot him a smile and stood up. "I better give Jethro a call and tell him you finished your nap."

"If you want to call it that."

* * *

><p>AN: So, what did you think? :-D

I'm not making any more promises about my updates, even if I think the next one will be quicker than this one :-)


	28. Chapter 28: Proposals

A/N: My Gosh, two months already since my last post! Once more I feel really ashamed but RL has been so crazy I really haven't been able to be quicker. If only there were more than 24 hours in a day that would be great!

Anyway, Implicit rule is coming to an end so I really want to thank all my readers and reviewers, especially I left my heart in Paris, Prettycrazy, NCIS She-Demon and Tempe4Booth who reviewed the previous chapter and of course the great JibbsGal1, my wonderful beta. Thank you all for sticking with this story and the chaotic updates.

I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations :-D Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter 28: Proposals<p>

* * *

><p><strong>May 17, 2011 3:00 am<strong>

**Bethesda Naval Hospital, Maryland**

Just as Jenny was heading towards the door of Mike's hospital room to call Gibbs, the man himself opened it and held it for Leyla and Amira, who both looked exhausted and extremely worried. Their faces lit up the moment they saw Mike was awake.

"Hey, if that's not my girls! Come on, don't stay in the doorway, I can't receive a hug from my favorite granddaughter from over there," Mike greeted, opening his arms wide for Amira.

"I'm your only granddaughter, silly," Amira said, giggling a little as she approached Mike cautiously, looking intimidated by all the equipment surrounding him.

"Come on, I'm not gonna break if you give me a hug but I might if you don't," Mike said in a soft voice so unlike him. It did the trick. Amira climbed on the bed and curled up against her grandfather, holding onto him like she never wanted to let go.

"You scared me, Papa. Don't leave us again, please," Amira pleaded, her voice muffled as she pressed her head in his chest to hear his heartbeat.

"I'm alright now, sweetpea. There is nothing to worry about anymore," Mike said soothingly but the other adults in the room couldn't help but notice that his words sounded false and they exchanged troubled looks. "Now, I have a few things to say to dear Probie here, why don't you come closer?" Mike added as he glared at Gibbs.

The Special Agent swallowed at the look his mentor sent him. He knew it all too well, he used it with DiNozzo whenever the young man would say or do something stupid. He slowly drew nearer to the bed and braced himself for the headslap he was sure to receive. Mike didn't disappoint, and Gibbs was convinced he would have a lump for the rest of his days from the force of the blow.

"I hope you will remember never to hide something like that from me again. I almost had a heart attack when I saw her sitting beside me!"

"Yes, Boss," Gibbs replied with a military salute and a smirk, still rubbing his head.

"Don't mock me, Probie, unless you want another one of those?" Mike growled, raising his hand again.

"Nope, I'm good," Jethro answered, retreating quickly towards Jenny. "You look exhausted," he told her, giving her a proper once-over.

"You always know how to make a woman feel good, don't you?" Jenny replied, rolling her eyes. "I've been up all night watching him, what do you think?" she elaborated, nodding towards Mike.

"Hey, no one forced you to," Mike barked at her.

"Calm down, soldier, no one is deaf in here, no need to yell," Gibbs said, making Mike scowl and cross his arms again.

"No matter how charming you made it sound, I am exhausted. Is it safe to go back home?" Jenny asked Gibbs, not paying any attention to Mike's remark.

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, it's over. The bas… I mean we got him and our dear one-eyed friend has fled once again," he corrected himself when he looked at Amira.

"My gosh, Gunny, is it because of Red's influence that you're speaking so well?" Mike couldn't help but comment.

"Red?" Jethro asked.

"Yes, that's me, Jenny Red Shepard, didn't you know?" Jenny answered him, rolling her eyes again at the nickname.

"Mommy?" they heard Grace's sleepy voice call out.

"I'm here, honey," Jenny said, approaching her quickly as the little girl was trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"Where are we?" Grace asked, looking around her and tensing up slightly at the sight of the three strangers.

"At the hospital. Do you remember when I told you one of Jethro's friends was wounded and he wanted me to watch over him?"

Grace nodded and focused her attention on Mike. "Is that him?" she asked.

"Yes, his name is Mike Franks. He was my mentor when I joined NCIS and here are Leyla, his daughter-in-law and Amira, his granddaughter," Gibbs took over, realizing he hadn't introduced Mike's family to Jenny.

Grace looked from Mike to the girls, still wary. Amira got up from Mike's bed and approached the little redhead.

"Hi, I'm Amira and his name is Liam, like my father," she said softly, indicating the teddy bear she was clutching to her chest.

Grace studied her for a moment and the adults watched anxiously to how she would respond.

"I'm Grace and his name is Jacob, like my dad," she finally answered, showing her stuffed wolf and smiling slightly.

Gibbs heard Jenny discreetly breathe in relief, beside him.

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><p>Gibbs, Jenny and Grace didn't stay long after that. Mike was getting tired, and they felt like they should let him be with his family. After promising to come back in the afternoon, Gibbs brought his girls back to Georgetown and they both fell asleep in the car.<p>

Knowing how Jenny could get when she was shaken awake, Gibbs prayed that at least one of the boys would be home. He was lucky enough that Mikhael was there, and the two of them got Grace and Jenny inside. After explaining the latest development to Mikhael, Jethro finally got to lie down beside Jenny.

He was drained but his mind wouldn't shut down yet. He couldn't help but think about what could have gone wrong in the past couple of days with Mike and Jenny.

He remembered what his father had asked him when they went to Stillwater. Yes, he wanted to marry Jenny and he had told his father as much, almost losing her again made him even more determined but he wasn't sure how she would react. What she had said, at Diane's wedding, as she had caught the bouquet rang clear in his head. She was definitely not joking but he wasn't sure if it was because of his track record in matrimony or because she was plainly and simply against marriage. They had never talked about it, never had the chance to before and they had had other issues to address when they decided to give their relationship another go.

However, now he was ready to ask the big question. It was on this mind as he finally fell asleep and his dreams that night were full of rings and white dresses.

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><p><strong>May 21, 2011 1 p.m.<strong>

**35th Street NW, Georgetown, Washington D.C.**

He had to wait four more days to find the right moment. It was now Saturday, and he felt like he had run through every jewelry store in D.C. before he came across the perfect engagement ring. He didn't normally believe in fate but it seemed strange that the ring came from a French jewelry store. It was a simple gold band with a single round emerald in the center, surrounded by two little rubies, and engraved with two French words "_Pour_ _Toujours,_" meaning forever.

The ring screamed Jenny to him and once he set eyes on it he knew it was the one. He didn't care that it would cost him a month's salary. It was the first time since Shannon that he was sure about proposing to a woman, and he wanted to do it right.

Grace was spending the day with Abby, who had pretended it was her idea when it was really Gibbs who had ask the Goth. She had wanted to know what it was about but Gibbs had stayed mysterious, since he had no idea how Jenny would react. He didn't want to give Abby any false hopes… or maybe he didn't want to give himself any false hopes.

Jenny and Jethro were having lunch in the garden, and he was getting more and more tempted to drink some bourbon to gather his courage but he knew he needed a clear head. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and he got down on one knee, opening the little velvet box to a startled Jenny.

"What are you doing?" she asked before he could even open his mouth. She was so tense he was starting to believe this was a very bad idea.

"Well, usually when a man gets down on one knee and has a ring…" he started in a teasing tone but her expression was becoming more and more clouded.

"Do you want to leave me?" she asked and it was really the last thing he expected her to say.

"What? I'm proposing and you think it means I want to leave you?" he burst out and he must have conveyed how much he was finding it ridiculous - more than he intended to because now she seemed to be angry and offended.

"Well, since it's the fifth time you're doing this, I think I have some reasons to be worried," she was looking daggers at him.

He looked down at the ground. "I didn't mean it like that, Jen. After everything we've been through, how could I ever think about leaving you? I've known you longer than I've known any of my wives - any of them, Jen, even Shannon… Well, maybe not longer than Shannon but pretty close," he corrected when she threw him a disbelieving look. "I've been through hell and back with you, I've seen you at your worst and at your best, and you've seen me at my worst and best. I saw you fight your demons and beat them, and I wish I could be that strong. You're the most exceptional woman I've ever met, and you'd make me the luckiest bastard on this earth if you became my wife," he had to pause after that. He felt like he had run a marathon, he felt breathless, his heart was racing and Jenny was still avoiding his eyes.

She took a deep, shaky breath. "I don't see why you want to change everything. What makes you think it's going to work better if we get married? What makes you think this is gonna be any different from your other three failed attempts?" she whispered this, her eyes looking everywhere but in his.

He felt like she had slapped him. She had whispered but his ears were ringing as if she had yelled in them. He tried to get a grip on himself.

"I think it's going to be different because I've changed. I'm not the same man who proposed to Diane or to Stephanie. I'm not considering you as a replacement," she flinched a little and he took her face in his hands to force her to look at him. "I'm not considering you as a replacement, and I will say it over and over again until I'm sure you believe me. You're not Shannon and I never tried to see her in you. That's why it hurt so damn much when you left because for the first time I was trying to move on, for the first time I wasn't trying to find another Shannon. It didn't work out, maybe because I felt like I was more ready than I really was, maybe because you and I had too many demons to get rid of, I don't know. What I know is that I was never able to forget you, and I never felt so much contradictory feelings for one person than I did with you."

Jenny was biting her lips, her face still imprisoned in his hands and, looking in her eyes, he could see her thoughts racing.

"When I was a little girl, I was like every other girl. I dreamt of charming princes, white dresses, wedding cakes and all that stuff but as I grew older and I saw married people around me, when I observed them carefully I was getting the feeling that they felt trapped, forced to stay because they had signed a piece of paper and I didn't see the point," she paused a bit before continuing, and the pain in her voice as she did so was more than Gibbs could bear.

"My parents were happy at some point, I think. When my mother got sick, my father tried, at first, to be there, to do whatever he could to help her but then, after a while, he was spending more and more time at the office or in some mission abroad and I had the feeling he couldn't get out of the house fast enough. Most of the family friends were like that too; they felt like they had to stay, divorce was unimaginable so, instead, they were just making themselves even more miserable. In high school and in college, it changed a bit. My friends were so naïve about the idea of marriage that I almost convinced myself maybe I was seeing things darker than they really were and I even got engaged." Gibbs opened his eyes wide, he hadn't seen that one coming.

"We took things slow, we had decided to wait until we graduated before getting married but then his family died in a car accident and not long after that my father was killed. We tried to be there for one another but we started to drift apart and in the end there was no more engagement, no more wedding and I realized I had been right all along about marriage. When I met you and I heard about your track record, I thought, 'Well, at least, now, he must be wise enough not to go there again.' It seems marriage changes a relationship. I don't know why, and I don't want to know. Our relationship is already so complicated, why would we take the risk to change it? I don't want to be a wife because I don't want to ever take the risk of becoming an ex-wife, I couldn't bear it, Jethro," her voice was stronger, as if she was finally getting out things she had kept buried deep within.

"Why do you assume it's going to take a turn for the worst?" Gibbs said, his voice weaker than it had ever been.

"Because that's who we are. We don't live in a world filled with puppies and rainbows. We know that love stories don't always have a happy ending. I love you, I really do, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you but I know how to make the difference between what I want and the reality. I think marriage is for idealists, optimistic people - not for people like us. I don't need a piece of paper to prove that I love you and I don't want either of us to ever feel trapped in our relationship. Do you understand that?" It was her turn to take his face in her hands and his to have trouble looking in her eyes.

Jenny sighed. "You're disappointed," she said simply.

"I … I just wasn't expected this," Gibbs replied.

"It doesn't change anything, Jethro," Jenny insisted as Gibbs stood up.

He left without a word and without looking back. Jenny stayed seated in the same position for several minutes, in shock. The day had started so well, she didn't know how they had gotten to that point.

Mechanically, she cleaned the table and started washing the dishes, trying to control her trembling hands and her watery eyes. She jumped when she heard a knock on the front door and the plate she was holding slipped from her hands and broke. She almost ran to the door before remembering that Jethro never knocked anymore.

She was speechless when she opened the door and saw who her visitor was.

"Secretary Jarvis?" she exclaimed at last. "What are you doing here?"

"You heard then," Jarvis replied, with a slight smile, ignoring her question.

"Yes, I did. Congratulations, I must say I wasn't expecting it."

"That makes two of us. May we enter? Security can become quite nervous out-of-door," Jarvis added, as one of his security guards cleared his throat.

"Of course, come in," Jenny said as she stepped aside and let the newly appointed Secretary of the Navy and his security detail enter the house. "Can I offer you some coffee?" she suggested just so she could keep herself busy.

Jarvis acquiesced, and Jenny led him to the living room.

"To answer your earlier question," Jarvis started as Jenny brought the coffee. "I must say I heard a lot about you over the years. We never really had the occasion to meet properly and I was as surprised as everyone else when you entered the Congress. I must be honest with you, I didn't expect this nomination but I intend to make the most of it and I won't make the same mistake as my predecessor. I think you can be a great asset for NCIS, Miss Shepard, and I would like to offer you a job."

Jenny was glad for all her years of practice in schooling her features into in impenetrable mask because without it she was certain her eyes would be bulging out of their sockets.

"I'm not sure I follow you. I left NCIS a while ago and I have no intention to go back there. I don't know what could have possibly given you that idea," Jenny said, frowning slightly.

"You didn't really leave NCIS. Your status said 'deceased.' Since you're clearly not, I don't see any obstacle to your reinstatement." Jarvis' tone was matter-of-fact as if he had anticipated all her questions and objections.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Jenny asked, giving him her full attention.

"I intend to create a liaison post between NCIS and the Congress, I think NCIS should play a more prominent role and with your in depth knowledge of the agency and your Congressional contacts, I believe you can help me achieve that," Jarvis explained in the same tone.

"You seem to have given all of this a lot of thought in the short time since your nomination," Jenny commented.

"Is it a reproach?"

"No, just an observation. What makes you think I would accept your offer when I refused all those Davenport made me?" Jenny inquired, in her no non-sense Director tone.

"Davenport used you, just as he used Leon Vance. Once you became a liability, he got rid of you or tried to at least. You were just a pawn in this game."

"And you're not? Using me?" Jenny interrupted him.

"I'm being honest about it…" Gibbs' entrance in the room prevented Jarvis from continuing.

"Calm down, everyone," Jarvis ordered as his guards drew their weapons towards Gibbs. "He is an NCIS agent."

Gibbs glared at the guards into putting away their guns and then turned towards Jenny.

Jarvis looked from one to the other and understood quickly he wouldn't be able to get anything more from Jenny Shepard at the moment.

"Well, I think I overstayed my welcome. Please, promise me you will think about it and get back to me with an answer," SecNav told Jenny as he prepared to leave.

Jenny nodded. "I will." She saw him to the door and went back to the living room, crossing her arms, fixing Gibbs with raised eyebrows.

"What was he doing here?" Gibbs blurted out before he could bite his tongue.

Jenny watched him in disbelief. "Are you serious? You leave in a fury without saying a word, you waltzed back in here like a madman and the first thing you say is 'What was he doing here?'!"

Gibbs looked down. "I'm an ass," he muttered.

"Tell me something I don't know," Jenny replied harshly.

"I'm a stupid, insensitive ass who got blinded by his pride instead of trying to understand your feelings," he elaborated, raising his head. His desperate look softened Jenny a bit.

"That's better," she said, nodding.

"The moment I was out the door I knew I was making a big mistake but …," he started.

"But you didn't want to look like a fool by turning around and coming back mere seconds after you threw me one of the most disgusted looks I ever received?" Jen tried a guess and Gibbs nodded at it.

"I'm an ass," Gibbs repeated and, this time, Jenny smiled.

"Well, I knew that when we got back together. Actually I think that's one of the first things I heard about you."

"That doesn't help," Gibbs growled. "It was Bob, wasn't it?" he asked making Jenny watch him in confusion as she tried to follow his train of thoughts.

"Oh," she exclaimed, when she understood what it was about. "Yes, it was Bob. I guess that does explain a lot of things, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, but I still don't understand how he could let you go. I know I never could."

"After my father's death, I wasn't the Jenny he knew anymore," she answered simply. "You should thank him for it," she added.

"I will, don't worry. I will."

Silence fell between them for a few minutes.

"I drove around a bit and I ended up in Arlington, at the park where I met you again five months ago. I sat on the bench for a few minutes and I remembered how I felt when I saw you there. I can't believe I was stupid enough to risk losing that just because of some misplaced pride. I understand you don't want to become the fifth Mrs. Gibbs, I understand what you lived through was painful enough to scare you from marriage for life and if I was wiser I would be too," he paused, seeing Jenny's amused expression.

"As I said, I understand you don't want to marry me but, when I bought that ring, I was sincere. I want you to have it, if not as an engagement ring, at least as a promise. My promise to always be there, no matter what; my promise to try to understand you before getting mad and angry; in short my promise to be a little less Gibbs and a little more Jethro," he said all of this very fast, as if he was afraid he would lose the thread or his nerve if he took more time.

"Sometimes, it's like living with Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You can't have one without the other," Jenny remarked.

She approached him slowly until she was one breath away from him. "Don't ever do that again. I mean it, I would rather have you yell than storming out like that. Agreed?" she demanded and Gibbs nodded. "Now, show me that ring. I never had the chance to get a proper look at it."

Gibbs laughed out loud and gave her the velvet box, shaking his head. "We are one crazy pair, aren't we?" he said, embracing her as she put the ring on her left hand and admired it.

"We definitely are," Jenny replied, melting in his embrace.

"So, what did Jarvis want?" Gibbs asked, after a few minutes.

"You've got to be kidding," Jenny said, bursting out laughing.

**THE END** well until the epilogue.

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><p>I really would love to hear what you thought about it.<p>

I have no idea when I will be able to write down the epilogue, it's all planned but I lack the time.

Pour Manon, es-tu ManonOW qui m'a écrit il y a quelques temps? si oui je suis ravie que tu ais réussi à 'déchiffrer' quelques mots et que tu aimes ce que tu ais lu. Si non, je suis ravie que tu ais découvert cette histoire et que tu l'apprécie :-D


	29. Chapter 29: Epilogue

**A/N**: Well, I'm back! I'm so sorry for the long delay, RL has been so crazy that hoping to find spare time to write was as realistic as finding water in the middle of the Sahara!

If there is anyone still interested in this story here is the epilogue, I hope it's as satisfying for you as it is for me.

Thank you to everyone who read, favorited or reviewed this story and a big shoutout to JibbsGal1 for her help and support.

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

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><p>In just a few moments, the first notes of the wedding march were going to be heard and she would slowly make her way towards her groom. But for now, for just a few seconds, she was happy to stand there unnoticed, observing her family and friends gathered here for one of the most important days of her life. She smiled, hearing her daughter's giggles all the way from the front row.<p>

Sometimes she still couldn't believe the unexpected turn her life had taken, but she didn't regret anything. To many, her choices would - and did- appear reckless, thoughtless and could have ruined her ambitions but she had proved all of them wrong. A few days ago, she had given the valedictory address after having obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Government, with _summa cum laude_, from Georgetown College of Arts and Science. Against all odds, she had ended up at the top of her class, and in a few weeks she was going to return to Georgetown to study for a Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution, with an important position in the UN at stake. All of that while raising a child and preparing a wedding; the past two years had flown by.

She had a thought for her five-year-old self, this wary girl whose biological parents had been taken from her way too soon and who had to see what was left of her family go through all sorts of ordeals before finally finding some peace and happiness. Her adoptive mother, especially. It didn't take a genius to see how unhappy, sad and lonely Jenny had been even before they went into hiding, and Grace was anything but stupid.

Jenny's reunion with Gibbs had put a smile on her face and the light back in her eyes. She had taken Jarvis' offer to become the liaison between NCIS and the Congress and had been quite successful at it. It seemed that, after everything, she hadn't lost her touch. She kept the job for a few years, until Grace graduated from high school and, then, to the utter surprise and shock of their family and the NCIS team, Jenny and Gibbs announced that they were retiring and would sail off to go around the world on Gibbs' latest boat. For about a year, they travelled, sending postcards from the various places they visited and making contact about every week or so, to make sure everyone was doing okay. That is, until Grace called them to announce that she was pregnant.

When Jenny had started her new job, she was granted a protection detail again, and one of her bodyguards had a son about Grace's age, Julian Baxter. They went to the same schools and became an item during their junior year in high school. They both were admitted by Georgetown and during their second year, after a drunken party, they had sex and forgot what a condom was. Grace panicked when she found out she was pregnant and didn't tell Julian, thinking that he wouldn't want to have anything to do with her after that. She called her parents, who came back as fast as they could.

Grace had expected them to be disappointed with her but they hugged her and asked two questions: Do you want to keep the baby, and do you think you can raise him/her while studying?

She took a while to give an answer but, in the end, it was a resounding yes to both questions. With that, Jenny and Gibbs kicked her butt for not telling Julian and her boyfriend's reaction to the news blew her away. Of course, he wasn't ecstatic at the prospect at first, and he was angry with her for keeping it from him but he respected her decision, stood by her and when she gave birth to their daughter, Julian looked like he had been given the most precious package. He asked her to marry him there and then, but Grace passed out from exhaustion.

They named their daughter Elizabeth Kelly Baxter, and Grace would always remember Gibbs and Jenny's tears at hearing it for the first time.

The two years that followed were a rollercoaster, and everyone from Grace's grandfather and uncles to the team was involved. They stood by her side to help with the baby and with her schooling. She owned them so much; she didn't know how she would ever be able to repay them, even if they never asked for anything in return. Her graduation day was as much about her as it was about making them all proud and giving back a bit of what she received.

"Are you ready?" Gibbs asked her, making her jump. She hadn't heard him approach but then who ever did?

About a year after Gibbs gave the engagement ring to Jenny, he asked Grace if she would be okay with him adopting her. She studied him long and hard and asked him bluntly if she would be some sort of replacement. Gibbs replied just as bluntly that his daughter was irreplaceable, just as Grace's parents were and that the adoption was to be sure they would always have a place in each other's life.

Gibbs became her father just as Jenny was her mom, and it was only natural that he was the one giving her away.

As they made their way down the aisle in the Meridian House's garden, Grace saw the faces turning towards her. NCIS chief medical examiner Jimmy Palmer, his wife Breena and their son were there. Jimmy had asked that a chair be left empty beside him in remembrance of his mentor. Grace had fond feelings for Ducky, who had passed away a few years ago and who had been like a second grandfather to her.

NCIS Director Timothy McGee and Abby were there too. It had taken a long while for these two to finally take the plunge and admit their feelings to one another and even longer to act on it. Gibbs had had to give his blessing and declare Rule 12 null and void for them to get together once and for all.

After Gibbs retirement, McGee revealed that he was thinking about the Director's chair for a while now and since Leon Vance was thinking about retiring too, he took McGee under his wing and taught him everything he knew. McGee was a fast learner and, after only a few months, he was nominated by SecNav to replace Vance.

Tony was now the Special Agent in Charge of the Major Case Response Team and finally felt ready for it. He and Ziva had given a try to a relationship a few years back but it didn't work out as they felt it was messing up their work relationship and they would rather stay partners than have nothing at all. Grace had noticed lately a certain rapprochement between Nathan and Ziva and wondered what would become of it.

They were in the front row now, and she saw Mikhael and his flavor of the week, even if this one seemed to stick around longer than the others had; and Abraham who was discussing with Jackson, who was well on his way to become a centenarian as he was always claiming lately. Leyla was there too, with an empty chair on each side, one for Amira, Grace's matron of honor and her best friend ever since she and her mother moved to Washington, following Mike's death. The other empty chair was for him and again Grace remembered warmly the gruff, irreverent former Special Agent who, in the few months she had known him, had taught her the essentials of his rules.

She exchanged a thousand-watt smile with Jenny, her mom, the one who had always been there and who loved her no matter what. They weren't related by blood but their bond was stronger than any biological one. Jenny was holding Elizabeth, who was squirming to get down and join her mother. Seeing Jenny struggle, Julian indicated to Amira to bring him Elizabeth and the girl settled in her father's arms, triggering a series of "Oohhhh" and "Aahhhh"s from the guests.

At last, Grace was next to her groom and Gibbs joined their hands, saying a few words to the young man that Grace wasn't able to hear but that Julian understood loud and clear.

"I hope that you remember what I told you when you announced that you and Grace were going to get married because I do."

Julian gulped, nodded and Gibbs kissed Grace's cheek and went back to his seat, satisfied.

Grace had chosen the Meridian House for a lot of reasons but the primary one was the Latin inscription that greeted the guests at the entrance "Quo habitat felicitas nil intret mali," which means, "Where happiness dwells, evil will not enter." She had no doubt that on this day, with all the people she loved and the memories of the ones she had lost, no evil could enter.

There was one thing Mike told her that would always stay with her: "I don't care if you don't remember every rule I teach you because you already know the most important one: you do what you have to for family, it's the implicit rule."

THE END

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><p><strong>AN**: This is it! What did you think? Please leave a review and let me know.


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